Golden Star's Reign
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to Twilight's Revenge. What was going to be a nice summer vacation for Laika and Netto suddenly turns into a full-scale crisis as Netto disappears and an overwhelmingly powerful organization begins challenging the Net Police and Net Saviors: the scale of their power will make all other previous criminal organizations seem pale in comparison even. Rated M for lemon.
1. Chapter 1: Crisis

**Golden Star's Reign**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: Crisis**

22:57 PM (Moscow Time), Thursday July the 1st, 2006…

"… Shit."

Laika, Sharo "Net Savior", was sitting on a chair and working with a computer inside of the Sharo Net Police Command Center: he looked sleepy and depressed, for once.

"How did this…?"

His Link PET was connected to the computer with a cable and data was scrolling down its screen.

"Hope we find something fast or else…!"

Other things to be spotted were a half-empty cup of black coffee and the wrapping for a sandwich along with some remains.

"Laika."

Someone suddenly placed a hand over Laika's right shoulder: he gasped and turned around to see Commissioner Malenkov looking at him with a concerned face.

"Uncle…" He trailed off.

"It's close to eleven o'clock… Shouldn't you go sleep?" He asked with a sigh.

"How could I, Uncle? It happened in front of my eyes and I was powerless to do anything!" Laika sounded frustrated.

"Laika…" Malenkov trailed off.

"Shit!" Laika banged the console.

"Hard to believe it's happened but…"

_16:08 PM (Moscow Time)… _

"… _Hey! Laika! I'll be going on ahead."_

"_Sure. The exit is straight ahead!"_

_Laika and Hikari Netto had been walking down a corridor inside of the rare metal mine "Darkloid" Cold Man had taken over in the past._

"_Heh, heh! I'm gonna beat ya to the perimeter!" He'd challenged._

_Netto was some meters ahead of Laika and heading towards the exit: he was wearing his usual coat over his clothes as he did whenever he came to Sharo._

"_Netto – kun…" Rock Man EX had sounded resigned as he'd stood over Netto's right shoulder using the miniature hologram produced by Link PETs._

"_Huh? Ah! You're worried that I'm too hyperactive today?" Netto had asked with a grin._

"_Yeah. You should be relaxed and glad Laika invited us over for a one week stay here." Rock Man had told him._

"_Fine, fine! Okay! Laika! I'm going for it!" Netto had called out._

"_Okay." He'd shrugged._

_Netto had run forward about five meters when he'd suddenly tripped his right foot with something and lost balance._

"_W-whoa!"_

_Before Laika had been able to react, an explosion came out of the ceiling and brought upon its collapse, making a large amount of dust and stone sweep the area._

"_What in the…!" Laika had gasped._

_The dust had cleared a while afterwards, and an impassable mass of stone and earth had piled up in the middle of the tunnel, thus blocking it and making it impossible for anyone to cross through._

"_By all the…!" _

_Laika had cursed something under his breath and rushed next to the immovable mass._

"_Netto! Are you okay?" Laika had called out._

"_Y-yeah! I'm fine!" Netto had replied._

"_We've only been pushed back a bit!" Rock Man had added._

"_That explosion… Why did it happen?" Search Man had wondered._

"_Huh? Impossible! Y-you're…!" Netto had suddenly gasped._

"_No way!" Rock Man had uttered._

"_What's going on?" Laika had called out._

_There had been a muffled sound which had sounded like something had hit the ground. _

"_Netto – kun! Netto – kun!" Rock Man had called out in a panicked tone of voice._

_There had been a sound and Rock Man's voice had disappeared as well._

"_Rock Man!" Search Man had called out._

_The sound of someone running away had started to be heard all of a sudden._

"_What's going on?" Laika had wondered._

"… _I can detect two signatures! And they're moving away!" Search Man had reported._

"_Shit! Let's use the west exit!" Laika had cursed._

_He'd undone the path until he'd reached a nexus of tunnels and had picked the one at his left. _

"_Whoa! Who's that?" A worker on the outside had wondered._

"_You! Stop!" Another had shouted._

"_Wait! The guy's armed!" A third had gasped._

_The sound of a vehicle's doors closing had been picked up by Laika along with the roar of its engine as it turned on. _

"_Stop! Stop!" A worker had shouted._

_Laika had finally managed to come outside and had stopped to catch his breath: he'd been able to see a wagon car speeding away and outside of the perimeter._

"_What the hell happened?" He'd asked._

"_A Net Navi has abducted your friend, Laika – kun!" One of the workers had told him._

"_A Net Navi…?" He'd gasped._

"_Can't you describe him?" Search Man had asked._

"_Well… I'd put him close to a meter and seventy tall… Red body… Silver hair… Creepy reddish shades…" _

"_Red body…? Silver hair…? Creepy reddish shades…?" Laika had frowned at the description._

"_Was there anything else?" Search Man had asked of them._

"_He had a weird cannon-like weapon on his right forearm. He aimed it at us: we had to step aside! The wagon car is from the mine: he's stolen it off but we picked the registration plate!" The worker had explained._

"_But… Let's see… Red body… Silver hair… Creepy reddish shades… Weird cannon-like weapon… Impossible!" Search Man had been muttering before gasping._

"_The "_Evil" _Blues! He's been resurrected? But Twilight died two months ago!" Laika had gasped in horror._

"… Laika! Wake up! It's an order!"

Laika returned to the present and gasped while snapping out of his sleep-like state.

"Uh… Yes, sir!" He saluted.

"Laika. You _need_ to sleep. It won't make any difference to stay all night awake trying to narrow down the location of the wagon car." Malenkov told him.

"But… Uncle! I was the one who invited him here! His parents appointed me his safekeeping!" Laika protested.

"Yes. I won't deny that. And they know you'll do the impossible to solve this. But you won't solve it just by neglecting sleep and collapsing at any moment now." Malenkov told him.

"… Uncle…" Laika muttered.

"Sleep, Laika. Tomorrow will be a better day. Such a wagon car won't be able to stay unnoticed for long." Malenkov insisted.

"… Search Man. Come back." Laika commanded.

"Roger, Laika – sama."

Search Man returned into his Link PET while Laika picked his coat and unplugged the charger.

"Go to your room, Laika. I'll make sure to call you ASAP if we get any news. Do not give up hope." Malenkov told him.

"Yes, sir… I mean… Uncle. Good night." Laika replied.

He sluggishly walked out of the control center while Malenkov looked on with concern on his eyes.

_Laika… This is too much for him. Netto – kun gets abducted the day after arriving to Sharo by a resurrected "Darkloid". But what would the culprits gain from this? This doesn't look like petty revenge… _

"Men! Work by shifts. Do not push yourselves."

"Yes, sir! Count on us!" They saluted.

"If something important were to happen, then contact me ASAP!" He commanded.

"Yes, sir! By your orders!" They confirmed.

"Good! Get to your posts and sort the road control reports!" Malenkov commanded.

Everyone resumed working on their assignments while Malenkov looked out into the night skies from the observation windows.

_Netto – kun… _

"… Huff."

Laika stepped into his unit's barrack room which he shared with another three roommates: they weren't here at the moment.

_The others are still deployed on the south-east region to conduct training exercises… _

"… Search Man! If any message from Commissioner Malenkov comes in then make sure to remember it and tell me when I wake up." Laika commanded.

"Yes, sir. Laika – sama." Search Man confirmed.

Laika placed the coat on the perch and took out his boots and cap. He then sat on his bed and sighed.

"… Wake me up at seven o'clock. Seven hours of sleep will be enough, I hope." He commanded.

"Roger, Laika – sama…" Search Man trailed off.

"… Yeah. I know. You're worried, too… About _Saito_." Laika guessed while sighing.

"True. I prefer addressing him with that nickname because it sounds somewhat more… personal." Search Man admitted.

"Yeah… I don't mind it if they pretend to be brothers: they seem to be a match for each other… In any case… I gotta sleep. Good night." Laika muttered before letting out a yawn.

"Good night, Laika – sama."

Laika fell asleep while Search Man sighed and returned inside of the PET: he began to analyze some data but he suddenly closed his eyes and seemed to be reflecting.

_I can recall our first meeting way over a year ago…_

"_I'm the Navi of a Sharo Nation "Net Savior", Search Man. My granted orders were to chase the culprit responsible for the destruction of our national "Control X"…_ _That guy's goal is the destruction of all worldwide "Control X"… And the only one left is the one inaugurated today. I was briefed that the target was here and came over."_

"_Why…?_ _Why did you delete the Security Navis?"_

"_Why I deleted them, did you ask? Was there any way around?"_

"_That's…"_

"… _There's no other system around but to delete those infected by a "Dark Chip"…"_

"_But…!"_

"_A battle is cruel. Worthless compassion will cost you your life."_

"_I'm not fighting just to delete Navis!"_

"_Hmpf. Moot! But you'd better not get in my way: I won't care about you lowlife's reasons for fighting then. Interference from whoever impedes me to accomplish my orders will mean their removal!"_

"… _Gotcha! Search Man! Let's go! Huh? Search Man…"_

"_I'm following my orders. I'm staying here."_

"_You're staying here, you say?"_

"_That guy's goal is "Control X". He'll show up here for sure. I can't move from here if I want to defeat the target." _

"_That may be true but…"_

"_People's lives are at stake!"_

"_My orders are absolute. It's inevitable that there'll be some casualties to accomplish the mission."_

"_It's inevitable…? Peoples' lives… Ain't it obvious that peoples' lives are above orders?"_

"_My orders are absolute."_

"_Why the hell! You stubborn man!"_

"_What are you doing, Rock Man? Hurry! There's no time!"_

"_Gotcha! I'm going ASAP!"_

_And then…_

"… _Address search… Completed. Acquiring effective target range… Distance: 1200 Navi – meters… 1300 Navi – meters… 1400 Navi – meters… 1500 Navi – meters… 1600 Navi – meters… 1700 Navi – meters… Target: visible! Lock on! _… _Che_."

_Well. I know I thought his arguments were moot… But I wouldn't let that interfere with my mission so I shot._

"_Target: deleted."_

_And thus Shadow Man was deleted._

"… _Mission: completed. I'll be retreating."_

"_Search Man! Thanks for saving me."_

"_I didn't intend to save you."_

_Well, maybe I wasn't being truthful back then…_

"_And also… That of before… I'm sorry to have used such bad names on you…"_

"_As long as you get the point… Being given orders is, for me, the best praising ever."_

"_Jeez. I was really grateful, you know! Why are you being that dry instead?"_

_And I can remember the first meeting between Hikari Netto and Laika – sama… And it wasn't precisely warm either…_

"… _I do not pretend to boast about my own work."_

"_Oh! Then… You're…!"_

"_Search Man! You look well!"_

"_Yeah."_

"_I'm Hikari Netto!"_

"_I'm Rock Man!"_

"_So! You're Search Man's Operator? If there's anything you want to know, just ask."_

"_Mister Kifune… I'd like to have a tour of the facilities if I may."_

"_I'll take care of it! Let's go!"_

_Well, Laika – sama was looking at the whole deal with an unimpressed behavior… Like we could be superior to them…_

"… _Ta – dan! Sorry to have kept you waiting! This is the best place of 'em all! But I might be somewhat biased… This is an experimental "Dimensional Area" facility where Rock Man and I can perform "Cross Fusion"! Only Enzan and I can perform "Cross Fusion"! You know!"_

"_Netto - kun!"_

"… _Eh… I'm here to present this precious treasure of footage to you, I guess!"_

"_Hmpf. You're acting like you yourself built it."_

"_Told you."_

_And regarding the "Cross Fusion" demonstration… Well…_

"… _Unique trump card? The "Net Saviors" of Japan need to use this stuff?" _

"_Huh?_

"_If you have a head for battle then… It is possible to defeat the enemy even sans the need of any "Synchro Chip"… Do excuse me."_

_And things weren't precisely better during the lunch._

"… _I guess I made him angry…"_

"_Yeah… Maybe…"_

"… _Sorry… Eh… That's… I made you angry by showing off about me and Rock Man being able to do "Cross Fusion"…_ _I'm sorry! But…! If they keep on researching into the "Synchro Chips" then… They'll be able to mass produce them! When that time comes…! Laika! Even you could…!"_

"… _The "Net Saviors" of Japan can't delete their enemies sans the "Synchro Chips"?"_

"_But…! It would be impossible for humans to fight off substantiated "Darkloids" if it wasn't the case…"_

"_Impossible? You don't know unless you try, don't you? Battles are handled by using this. Or it could also be that your heads are also like these onion rings: empty inside." _

_I still think Laika – sama went over the edge back then._

"_What's with that attitude? Oi! Laika! Apologize!"_

"_Apologize? Why should I? I didn't do anything wrong."_

"_You accused me and Rock Man of being idiots!"_

"_I accused you of being idiots? I just told the truth."_

_And it was later proven that he was far from that: we came with the mood to look down on that and such… But in the end we DID start using "Cross Fusion" to handle the "Asteroids"… _

He finally opened his eyes back again and sighed.

"Rock Man… No, Saito… My companion. What's happened to you? Where are you? Can I help you? You did so much and didn't want anything in exchange… It's time to return the favor…! My companion…!"


	2. Chapter 2: Umbra's Return

**Chapter 22: President Hades**

18:15 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 28th…

"… _Gutten morgen. _Welcome to Gauss Console Berlin Office. How might I help you?"

"I'm the Japan Gauss Console President: Tesla Magnets. I need to speak with the branch president."

"Roger, _Frau_ Magnets. Please wait a minute."

Tesla, Meiru, Airstar and Enzan were having the live videoconference from a room in the Net Police HQ: a receptionist had greeted them and was now hearing to something with his headphone.

"… _Herr Präsident_. _Frau _Magnets would desire a live videoconference. Should I patch it to your office?" He asked.

"… Please go ahead." Someone replied.

"Roger."

"_Gutten nachmittag_, _Frau_ Magnets. It is an honor."

The "president" was unmistakably Kanou Shade but none of the presents seemed to realize that yet.

"You must be the new president… You look young." Tesla frowned.

"Alas. My predecessor suffered a car accident and I have to replace him until he recovers. But he had full confidence on my skills, so there is nothing to be concerned about." The man replied.

"What's your name?" Tesla asked.

"Shade. Kanou Shade. Japanese descendant born in Frankfurt, _Frau_ Magnets…" He politely announced.

_Why. Haven't I heard that name time ago?_ Enzan frowned.

"In any case… Do you remember the news of that plane explosion?" Tesla asked.

"I do. It surprised me." He admitted.

"This might sound weird, but… Is there any "great lake" somewhere in Germany?" Tesla asked.

"Why. We do have. Lake Constance: 536 square kilometers. Lake Müritz: 117 square kilometers. Lake Chiemsee: 80 square kilometers." He announced.

"Hmmm… Do you have any mountain the name of which may resemble the verb "to laugh" or any similar derivates?" Tesla asked.

"… No. I do not think so…" He seemed frown.

"Well then… Is there any mountain the name of which may resemble the word "pillar", maybe?" Tesla asked next.

"… I would need to look it up, but without more specifics…"

"Oh! They're supposed to be on opposite shores of one of those lakes and be more or less in sight of each other." Tesla added.

"Hum…"

"And please look up if there is any hill-like scenery which may contain former farms. It supposedly has to have views into the lake but we're not sure from which side of the lake." Telsa detailed.

"I understand."

They suddenly heard the sound of a door out of the screen opening and someone stepping in only to halt.

"… Eh? Huh? E~H! W-who are you?" A voice asked in German.

"My. Playtime is over, it'd seem." Shade muttered with a hint of amusement and also in German.

"I am Rudolph Neügo: only President to this office! What are you doing here and how did you get inside?" Someone exclaimed off-screen with obvious indignation.

"What's going on?" Airstar wondered.

"… It'd seem that man is an imposter, Enzan – sama." Blues reported.

"More imposters…?" Meiru growled.

Shade calmly stood up and looked out at the scenery of the city while they heard someone dialing into a cell phone.

"_Polizei_! I need policemen in the Gauss Console: someone has tried to impersonate me!" The man exclaimed.

"What!" Someone exclaimed.

"Did you like the thrill which came with escaping slaughter by mere inches when we blew our plane up?" Shade teased.

"That's no mere man! It's the leader of Golden Star!" The policeman uttered.

"What!" The real president uttered.

Shade calmly looked at a black wristwatch he had and hummed the _Star Wars_ theme.

"Send a SWAT team!" The policeman commanded on his side.

"Yes, sir!"

"By the time you get there I shall be gone." Shade announced.

"What! Send patrol cars: block off all exits!"

"Who said I need a conventional exit?" Shade teased.

"Damn." Enzan growled.

"Oh. My. Ijuuin – dono. I hadn't spotted you over there. It has been too long! And I am afraid you have forgotten me altogether." Shade greeted in Japanese while making a reverence.

"I knew it! My hunch that I knew you from somewhere else was correct, then!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Correct. September 2004." Shade merely replied as he stood up again with a smile on his face.

"So I just have to look at the list of people I had an interview with back then!" Enzan muttered aloud.

"I'll add another hint: Maha Jarama _Yoga_." He added.

"Ah! I remember! That was the first time we met you, Enzan – kun! Maha had used Magic Man to turn people into animals!" Meiru recalled.

"Ah. My exit is here, it'd seem." Shade announced.

The purple portal formed in front of him and he looked towards the videoconference hologram.

"Ms. Magnets! I apologize for my spying with my micro robots back then, but you should be glad I didn't spoil anything out." He gallantly announced while bowing.

"What! You spied me!" Tesla gasped.

"And Umbra – kun didn't get to realize it, I'll admit. But he spied on you when you planned to take over the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator." Shade added.

"Why, you…!" Tesla cursed.

"Farewell."

Shade calmly walked into the purple portal and it closed behind him, leaving no trace of it having been there.

"W-what! I'm hallucinating?" The real president wondered.

"No! It's just some kind of _Star Gate_ imitation!" Airstar exclaimed.

"President Neügo! Your work is good enough. Keep it up!"

"Huh! Roger, _Frau_ Magnets!"

"Goodbye."

"… Something tells me Germany could be a good place but I wouldn't risk betting it all on it." Enzan muttered aloud.

"Where are they, then?" Blues grumbled.

11:28 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… So! We're gonna move our HQ somewhere else, then, Oriol?"

"Yup. But it's a special place."

"Oh?"

"Intrigued, Andy – kun?"

Kuroshiro and Legato were talking with Kage and Andy while inside of their room: a small red-colored suitcase could be seen set on the ground: Kage was sitting in a chair and looked interested while Andy was standing next to him.

"But, firstly… We're gonna make another show with the army to test its deployment capabilities. And you'll come by using "Cross Fusion"." Oriol announced.

"Heh. If Andy alone is hard enough to chew, they'll stand no chance against our "Cross Fusion"." Miquel grinned.

"Otouto… Don't be over-confident. That's when trouble knocks at our doors." Andy grumbled.

"Sorry. I'll drop it, niisan." Kage replied.

"In any case… We'll do that tomorrow. And you'll find the spot familiar, even." Kuroshiro teased.

"Heh. They will be filled with fear and confusion." Legato smiled.

"Obviously. Golden Star is way better than 'em!" Andy grinned.

"Victory will be ours!" Kage exclaimed next.

"Sure thing." Legato grinned.

"Well. I better get to work: I've got job to do. I'm not a pencil-pusher to begin with and there are some projects I gotta complete."

"See you around, guys."

"We'll be looking forward to it, yeah."

11:37 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… _Mademoiselle_. How are the preparations like on _that front_?"

"… Completed."

"Is that so? Splendid."

Shade was speaking with Slur while standing in front of another of those ring-like machines: Slur looked amused.

"The server moving has been completed. The self-destruct C4 in the lab is set up as well. The rest of the rooms will be left as they are." Slur amusedly listed.

"Perfect. I apologize if this was below your dignity. We are somewhat short on staff." Shade politely apologized.

"You do not need to be concerned, President Hades. I do know your requests are not selfish at all but for the greater good of Golden Star." Slur calmly replied.

"Thank you very much for your understanding." Shade gallantly thanked.

"… Heh. Maybe Forte will come over. I would like to teach him about powerlessness." Slur looked sinister.

"Please do grant him another living nightmare. He shall then wish he had never tried to challenge us. _Mademoiselle_ Slur."

"But of course. Then, if you shall excuse me…"

"Please go ahead."

Slur floated out of the room by levitating some centimeters above the ground while having that sinister smile on her face.

"Forte. You foolish Net Navi. You shall experience the _Naraku_ itself: unending pain and suffering engraved on your mortal flesh. Hmpf. "Net Saviors"… They shall share the same fate, too… The Reverse Cyber World shall swallow them…" She muttered aloud.

_How foolish of you to get in our way, foolish Net Navi…_

14:44 PM (Moscow Time)…

"… Damn. So we've confirmed that "K. S." is Kanou Shade and that he's that President Hades guy, then."

"Yeah. And that Hind D was no joke and neither was that mole they named "Ra Mu"."

Enzan had contacted Laika to brief him on the current situation: Laika looked annoyed while Enzan looked resigned.

"Hmmm… But if they say some people are glad when we destroy them and they talk about "years of repression", then they really seem to be some years old…" Laika muttered.

"I managed to scan some of the remaining data samples you sent me: the whole programming method looked antique yet advanced for its age. I'd placed it between twenty and fifteen years ago." Search Man announced to them.

"Hmmm… The only important thing which I know of that period is the failed "Spectrum" experiment… Maybe they were military designs which were rejected and which someone else then took profit of? But… Dark Land's military regime has only been around for nine years… The timeframe doesn't match." Enzan ventured.

"Yeah. It doesn't. And I'm still reeling about them actually _cloning_ Netto just to fool us." Laika made a grimace.

"Yeah. They're starting to try to turn _Star Wars_ stuff into reality. Let's hope they don't recreate the whole Imperial Fleet, too."

"That would be a painful thing." Blues grumbled.

"I'd rather prefer the Imperial Fleet to the Death Star's Super Laser, thank you very much." Search Man sarcastically muttered.

"And they've still got one ace under their sleeves, I'd say. It's slowly becoming deadly. Let's pray no-one ends dying for real."

"Yeah. I hope that it doesn't happen, too." Laika muttered.

18:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm BEATEN!"

"Whoa! Dingo! What happened?"

"Look at the TV!"

"W-w-w-what's THAT?"

"Whoa!"

"By all the…"

Dingo came into Maha Ichiban's while looking beaten: Dekao was surprised but Dingo simply collapsed on one of the seats while he lazily signaled the TV: Dekao gasped upon seeing aerial footage of the battle against "Ra Mu": Hinoken gasped and so did Wily.

"Father."

"Huh! Yuriko."

Yuriko came in all of a sudden and sat in front of him.

"Is that one of your experimental designs?"

"No."

"The technology matches."

"Who'd want to use something from almost 20 years ago?" Wily was surprised.

"Twilight _did_ use "Spectrum"…"

"Damn. I remember." Wily cursed.

"Did you come up with the energy core system back then?" Yuriko asked next.

"Yes. They were a secondary research the Army wanted to conduct and part of it went into the defense mecha." Wily admitted.

"Hum. It reeks. This is the second one we've found."

"Second one! But who'd bother to build those?"

"Speaking of using old technology again… I remember Enzan telling me about the Operator of "Asteroid" Drill Man chasing some weird pillars made 20 years ago which opened all kind of Cyber Locks…" Dingo suddenly recalled.

"Yes, I'd heard of that. But it's unrelated."

"Oh! Mariko – sensei! How…?"

"I'm not Mariko, I'm Yuriko."

"But Mariko – sensei doesn't have any sisters!"

"She thought I'd died in a plane accident. Don't you remember me from a year ago? At the bridge? The car's tire got punctured and I was threatening Mariko with a gun?" Yuriko sighed.

"AH!" He gasped.

"Anyway. Any ideas, Father? Were there any competent researchers involved in "Spectrum" who could come up with that?"

"Huff. Honestly enough I was only thinking about myself. There were tons of scientists, even Japanese ones with a temporary contract: the Army was interested in those mecha. I'm surprised they left them to rust there after that, though. And I'm surprised that they could move again way over 20 years later. I'd never guessed there were such numbers."

"Maybe Twilight used some production plant and had it produce them in a row for some time before to get them ready…"

"Could be. Anyway, I'd have to dig out the lists somewhere. Maybe Ijuuin Enzan could help: his company has sympathies with the Ameroupe Army and that's how they figured out about Barrel Tai – sa…"

"Good. I'll ask of him, yes."

"But be careful, Yuriko. We don't want anyone to die."

"Of course not, Father."

"Oi! Dingo!"

"What, Dekao."

"What was _that_?"

"HUH? Ah. You mean when Meiru – chan gave me a hand… Well! What's odd about it, anyway? I needed to recover from the attack." Dingo shrugged and sighed.

"You…!" Dekao growled.

"Ooyama Dekao! Beware! The curry is about to curse you! It's about to get burnt! Along with your future!" Wily told him.

"NO WAY!"

Dekao rushed into the kitchen and he remained there for a while so Wily fumed and sighed.

"Anyway… Try to figure out who could've built those. Maybe they were stored in some Army server or cluster and have just been re-discovered by those guys…" Wily shrugged.

"Hum. But I'm surprised at that of "years of repression"… Like they'd been employed in an evil manner… But the Science Labs would've surely picked on those… So they must've been hidden somehow." Yuriko muttered with obvious suspicion.

"As if those guys weren't enough now there's some conspiracy being dug up after being dead for 20 years? What the hell is going around here, anyway?" Wily cursed.

"The Evil God's cursed us: that's it…" Dingo groaned.

"Dingo… There aren't any Evil Gods so stop babbling."

"That's easy for ya to say, Tomahawk Man!"

"And if only you bought a compass…"

_What's this about? Who built those things? Why are they being dug up by now? How did they hide them? I have a bad feeling…!_


	3. Chapter 3: Investigation

**Chapter 3: Investigation**

15:49 PM (Japan Time), Friday July the 2nd…

"… Huh… Fua~h…! Huh… Good afternoon, sir…"

"Come in, Enzan – kun…"

Ijuuin Enzan stepped into Commissioner Kifune's office while carrying a clipboard with some papers attached to it: he looked like he'd had trouble sleeping as well.

"Commissioner. Good afternoon. I bring Commissioner Malenkov's report on the incident." Enzan announced.

He handed the clipboard to Kifune and stood still in front of his desk while Kifune read it.

"Hmmm… The wagon car was found twenty kilometers SSW of the mine's south exit and in the bottom of a gorge… It was obvious that it'd been vacated and then tossed into there to dispose of it: it was too easy to track. The culprits then switched transportation… No more info is available: the wagon car itself was deliberately burnt with napalm and is a wreck… We have no leads, then…" Kifune muttered as he read the report aloud.

"No, sir… We've tried to track the former Neo WWW Operators given how the man known as "K. S." tipped off that Twilight had restored their memories along with their Navis before his death. Inukai Takeo's whereabouts are yet unknown but he can be discarded: he's already has his "revenge" so as to speak. Narcy Hide can also be discarded: he would rather prefer to pain the whole city in pink. Sunayama Noboru and Saiko Rei might have had connections somewhere. Tesla Magnets is discarded as well given Charlie Airstar's witness." Enzan listed.

"… You haven't slept enough, I'd say, Enzan – kun." Kifune told him.

"… True… I just… feel like something bad… is about to start…"

"Hmmm… I see. Well then… Try to get some sleep. We're all working hard on this." Kifune suggested.

"Yes, sir… If you shall excuse me…" Enzan replied.

"Go."

Enzan stepped out of the office and barely repressed a yawn as he walked down the corridor.

"… Enzan – sama. Should we retrieve the list of persons granted an "Asteroid" Net Navi?" Blues asked.

"… No… There aren't any capable of doing such stuff. None of them would bother to go by something so complicated…" Enzan replied.

"… Roger, Enzan – sama."

Enzan stopped in a corner of the corridor and looked out into the mockingly sunny skies.

_Netto… Saito… What happened to you two? Why did that "Dark" Net Navi resurrect? _

"… I see. We are stuck."

"We are sorry."

"No. I know you are doing all you can, Commissioner."

Hikari Yuuichirou was speaking with Kifune via videoconference while he was working in the Science Labs: Meijin was also standing nearby.

"… Are you still trying to communicate or pick up the GPS tracker?" Kifune asked.

"We are. But the last signal placed him at the spot of the abduction. The culprit switched off the PET. And we can't pick it up so it must be somewhere underground or with bad coverage." Yuuichirou replied with a sight.

"I see… That's a pity." Kifune sighed.

"… Please contact me if something were to happen."

"Understood. Good afternoon."

Yuuichirou sat down on a chair: he closed his eyes and leant both arms on the desk.

"Hikari – hakase…" Meijin muttered.

"… Meijin… Try to see if you can pick up any "Dimensional Converter" activity. They might have used them instead of any transportation method…" Yuuichirou commanded.

"… Roger."

Yuuichirou sighed and looked depressed once he'd been left alone in the empty room.

"… Netto… Saito… Are you two alright? What's happened?" He wondered aloud.

"… Damn. Nothing."

"You didn't get any clients today?"

Charlie Airstar walked into his apartment to find Tesla Magnets shuffling through a society magazine's pages.

"… Didn't I tell you? Netto's been abducted while he was in Sharo with Laika!" He grumbled.

"Yeah. And the culprit was a Navi who was supposedly gone forever, you say… I dunno who'd bother to do that." Tesla replied while looking unimpressed.

"Tesla…!"

"Oh, oh! Airstar – kun… Calm down." Gauss Magnets told him as he rushed in and stopped next to him.

"… Mr. Gauss! Your _honorable_ Ms. Daughter should know what "worry" means!" Airstar told him with obvious sarcasm.

"Huh! Eh… I mean… Tesla! At least show some interest, will you!" Gauss told her.

"… Jawaii would do fine, too." She merely replied.

"This person…!" He was beginning to get angry.

"Tesla! You wouldn't care if something happened to me?" Gauss questioned.

"It's obvious that I'd care if something happened to Father, but why should I be concerned over an interloper?" She merely replied.

"Interloper…! The "Neo WWW" was annihilated! Your precious lackeys are scattered around the world! The office was destroyed! I was there, you know! I rescued you!" He growled in clear anger.

"Yeah. But that's long ago. I now prefer to see new spots." She countered.

"Okay! Have it your way, Tesla! But what would've you done if you were turned into data back when the "Nebula Grey Incident"? The ones who stopped that were Netto and Rock Man!" Charlie told her.

"Huh-uh. And you'll then bring up the "Twilight Tower" day." She guessed without bothering to look up from the magazine.

"… What if it turns out that a new organization wants to make your "Neo WWW" look pale in comparison?"

"What!"

She actually stood up and dropped the magazine.

"If we can find Netto, we can find them and then tell 'em that they suck 'cause you're the _Boss_." He improvised.

"I won't let anyone laugh at my face! Magnet Man! Start searching for suspicious bank account movements!" She announced before issuing an order.

"Roger, Tesla – sama." He confirmed while bowing.

"Okay. Gyro Man! Try to find out if someone has spotted that silver-haired guy before." Charlie told him.

"Okay, Charlie." Gyro Man confirmed.

"They won't laugh at my face! My word!"

18:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh…! What booty!"

"What a disgrace."

"Grah!"

A man had been drinking _sake_ somewhere.

He had greenish hair and looked on his thirties or forties.

He was dressed with a white wool shirt over another green one below while his silk pants were colored green and black: he had purplish boots on too.

A voice had ringed out from behind the man and he'd uttered a gasp of fear upon recognizing it.

"Come here, you."

Someone grabbed him from the right and lifted him to have a closer look to him: Dark Miyabi was the one.

"Deep Kabase."

"Miyabi…!"

"You lowlife were given "Asteroid" Sword Man: the last of the personal "Asteroids"." He announced.

"So what!" Kabase shot back.

"You lowlife were arrested for bank-looting. And now I find you lowlife in an infamous underground deals pub: the "Black Dog". I'm sure even you lowlife can put two and two together." Miyabi told him with a hint of suspicion on his voice.

"Well…" Kabase trailed off.

"Speak." Miyabi commanded.

He let go of him and had him fall on the stool while he stood in front of him: he had a serious face.

"I d-didn't escape! They never brought me to the courtroom to begin with!" He exclaimed.

"Interesting. Shadow Man!"

Shadow Man appeared with the hologram while folding his arms.

"You called me, Miyabi?" He asked.

"Yeah. Go call the Net Police. I need a patrol car to come to the "Black Dog". I've got a clue." He commanded.

"Roger."

Miyabi then sat on the stool next to Kabase and glared at him, making him sweat.

"…Hmpf… I'll listen to the rest of you lowlife's history once the Net Police comes. If you have two and a half millions on that PET, then you'll be able to pay that stupid _sake_." Miyabi told him.

"Uh! Eh… Y-yeah…" Kabase muttered.

He aimed the Link PET at the register machine and it beeped while displaying the amount paid.

"… The car has come, Miyabi." Shadow Man announced.

"Good." Miyabi replied.

Two policemen stepped inside, drawing gasps from the other customers, who looked nervous.

"Deep Kabase. You are under arrest for bank-looting and private property destruction." One of them announced.

"Come with us." The other commanded.

They handcuffed him and escorted him out while Miyabi followed them into the patrol car: he picked the rear seat next to Kabase while the policemen sat in the front seats.

_Hmpf. What a fool._

18:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Sit there!"

Kabase was made to sit down on a chair inside of an office room: Kifune, Superintendent Manabe, Detective Misaki, Enzan and Miyabi were present.

"Speak. Why didn't you get to go the courtroom to begin with?" Miyabi questioned.

"Y-yeah… Eh… The police transport was attacked while on its way there by a Net Navi who then claimed _they_ had a use for me…" Kabase began.

"Let me guess: that Navi had a red body and silver hair." Miyabi guessed.

"Y-yeah! He claimed that his name was _Legato_… I dunno where he got it from, though…" Kabase admitted.

_So! That evil Navi is now named Legato._ Enzan thought while he kept his arms folded.

"And that "use" happened to be building the same model of bombs you placed on that apartment building where the "Net Saviors" confronted you back in October." Miyabi guessed next.

Everyone gasped and seemed to have realized something.

"Y-yeah! He had me build four pairs of them. I spent a week and finished… hum… Four days ago, on Monday June the 28th… I questioned who he represented, but he admitted that they didn't have a definitive name as of yet…" Kabase admitted.

"So? Did he let out anything else?" Miyabi questioned.

"Oh! I once heard him speak with someone named _Monsieur Noir_… I guess it was his boss." Kabase let out.

"_Monsieur Noir_… Mr. Black…" Misaki muttered.

"You didn't hear that man's voice?" Miyabi asked.

_That could be a clue._

"He only reported that everything was going "according to the plan". But he then asked something about "THE device", asking if it was completed already."

"…"THE device"… Interesting. So it wasn't just the bombs… Maybe they meant a "Dimensional Converter"…" Enzan muttered aloud.

"So? Do you know anything else?" Manabe interrogated.

"W-well… He told me something weird which sounded like a riddle… "The laughing mountain claims that the pillar mountain is useless. The great lake separates them. The hills are silent and so are the farms. But the underground may be noisier than the surface."…" Kabase quoted.

"… It's a riddle… But it sounds like it's supposed to lead us to their location. Maybe it's a foreign name translated in a literal manner which can pinpoint specific places…" Blues muttered.

"That's all, I guess." Miyabi guessed.

"Y-yeah… That's all I know. Oh! He added that they would make sure to keep the Net Police busy." Kabase remembered.

"Obviously." Misaki shrugged.

"Take him away." Kifune commanded.

The two policemen escorted him out of the room.

"When Laika told me that the explosion happened _after_ Hikari tripped, it rang a bell. I then realized that it had had to be Kabase's own explosive model. I guessed he was at large since I searched the logs and he didn't show up on them. I tracked him down afterwards." Miyabi explained how his investigation had gone like.

"So! Legato's master goes by the title of Mr. Black. And they left behind a riddle to be deciphered. Send a copy to Laika – kun in Sharo: he might realize something." Kifune summed up.

"And things are not going to be quiet for long. Legato's message hinted towards that." Misaki guessed.

"… If I cross paths with that one… I shall slay it." Blues muttered.

"Yeah. I'd like to do the same thing, too." Enzan nodded in agreement.

However, they didn't spot a dragonfly hidden atop the metallic structure of one fluorescent light tube.

"What do we do now?" Manabe asked.

"Let's get working: Mr. Miyabi, please take care of the underground rumors to see if we can get a lead to Mr. Black." Kifune commanded before addressing Miyabi.

"Leave it to me. No villain fools a _Sengoku Ninja_ descendant twice. Maybe Yuriko will help me too." Miyabi announced.

"Yeah. That's our motto." Shadow Man added.

Miyabi opened the door and stepped out while crossing paths with a cleaning staff person who was cleansing the adjacent office and waxing its floors: Miyabi paid no heed and walked past the person.

… _Hmpf…_

The rest of the persons came out and headed away towards another spot of the Net Police HQ building without minding the person.

… _Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…_

"… By the way! Did Yuriko return from that investigation in Hokkaido she was taking care of two months ago?" Enzan asked Miyabi.

"Yes. It'd seem she was investigating why the underground had suddenly turned very active… There seemed to be some kind of hiring of some band going on and it'd seem one did get to get hired but that's all she got to figure before their source, a drunkard, got silenced."

"Rather vague… But if she bothered to check it out then maybe it was to be a repetition of Twilight's Western Europe double-sided bank-looting strategies…" Enzan guessed.

"Guess so. I wouldn't mind that too much by now."

15:08 PM (Moscow Time)…

"… A riddle, you say? I'll get working on it."

"Thanks, Laika."

"Don't mention it."

Enzan had contacted Laika and told him about what had happened while Laika had been working inside of the Command Center.

"Call me again if you get results." Enzan requested.

"Sure." Laika confirmed.

He then stretched and sighed as he resumed working.

_We've got some clues… I'll definitely unravel this riddle! Netto! Please hang in there!_

"Laika – sama. I just received a mail from Private Onderson."

"Private Onderson? What does he want NOW of all times?" Laika looked annoyed by now.

"He wants to know if you can atomize an atomizer, sir." Search Man read aloud.

"Not again with that stupid motto which someone made up of the blue and which spread like a virus across the social networks…! I'm fed up with that thing. Tell him to ask that to his soul. Try some soul-searching or ask the snowman." Laika fumed.

"Roger, sir."

"Onderson…! Go troll your own hide." He grumbled.

_But, really… Who'd make up that kind of riddle? It's a challenge to our intelligence, alright, but does it really lead somewhere or it's a blind alley to begin with? _

"Atomize the atomizer of atomizers!"

_Someone shut them up. Netto, Saito! Hang in there! _


	4. Chapter 4: A Game

**Chapter 4: A Game**

12:15 PM (Switzerland Time), Friday July the 2nd…

"… So? How's it like?"

"Huh? What?"

Netto had resumed chatting with Saito after coming out of the restroom: Saito had been absent-mindedly gazing at the ceiling.

"Being in the real world, I mean! Aren't you content?" Netto asked him with a smile.

"Y-yeah… I'm still getting used… Hum… Well… It's not like the "Copy Roids" can really "feel" since they're rather automated, but… It feels like I have a lot of freedom of movement…" Saito slowly listed.

"Heh, heh. I guess I'll be the one teaching you how to interact with the real world, Saito – niisan." Netto sounded up to something.

"Guess so, Netto – kun…" He scratched the back of his head.

"Really… You look way better sans the helmet. And I'd never guessed you had so much hair beneath it." Netto told him.

"Yeah… That black "X" shaped piece of hair was a touch Papa added but that's not my real hair color…" Saito admitted.

They suddenly heard the door unlocking and Kuroshiro came in while carrying a small wheeled suitcase: Legato followed him while having an identical suitcase.

"Sorry for the holdup… Saito! Would you mind following Legato to the adjacent room? You and he are gonna play a game." He announced before he addressed Saito.

"It'll be interesting, Saito – kun." Legato announced.

"… Sure. I guess you must've gotten gentler. Well then… Have fun, otouto." Saito shrugged.

"Okay. See ya later, niisan." Netto shrugged as well.

Saito followed Legato outside of the room and they closed the door while Kuroshiro left the suitcase next to the immobilized chair.

"Okay! Netto – kun. Our game is gonna start." He announced.

"So? What does that chair do?" Netto asked.

"That's part of it… Let me warn you: it'll involve… eh… making you discover the potential of your body, so… Is that fine for you?" He asked as he tried to find a good description.

"Discover my body's potential…? That sounds cool." Netto looked intrigued.

"However… You need to have a certain gear to play the game. Is that okay with you?" Oriol asked him.

"Hum… That doesn't sound bad." Netto didn't seem to mind it.

"Well then… Could you please start by taking _all_ of your clothes?"

"… We're guys, so… I don't see why not." Netto shrugged.

He calmly took off the pajamas and the boxers, which he neatly folded and left on top of a chair.

"Hmmm… That's some nice body you have, Netto – kun."

"Is that so?" Netto asked.

He crouched on the ground and unlocked the suitcase, revealing what looked like some black leather bands stored inside of it.

"Please spread your legs and arms open." Kuroshiro told him.

Netto calmly did so while looking intrigued: Kuroshiro walked next to him and then began to place the leather bands on place.

"Hum… Like this… Then this, and then…"

He was at it for a minute or two before he stopped.

"Come with me to the bathroom. There's a full-body mirror." Kuroshiro requested.

Netto calmly followed him into the bathroom and stopped in front of the full body mirror to look at his body.

"Wow."

The gear consisted on a thin black leather band around his neck with a small metallic ring, two interconnected bands of adjustable bands which passed over his shoulders, ran down his sides and circled around his ankles, almost scratching his member.

A small circle had been set on the base of his cock with three bands circling around the whole of his sack.

He also had some metallic pieces set on his forearms.

"… What's this gear?" Netto asked with a hint of surprise.

"S&M gear." He announced.

"It looks cool." Netto actually smiled.

"Doesn't it?"

"So? What goes next?" Netto asked.

"Let's go back."

They headed back into the room and Kuroshiro signaled the chair, so Netto calmly sat down on it.

"… Hum… I'm going to have to immobilize you, but it's a part of the game… So please don't think I'm doing something bad." He announced with a hint of nervousness.

"I know you'd never do anything bad to me." Netto calmly replied.

"Thanks, Netto – kun."

Kuroshiro picked his arms and placed them behind his body as he closed a small metallic piece to interconnect the forearm pieces and immobilize them.

"Now this…"

He then opened a compartment of the wheeled suitcase and took out some rope: he tied some around Netto's elbows before he gently glued his body to the chair's back.

"Followed by this…"

Once it was, he tied some rope around the elbows to connect them to the chair and added two ropes above and below his nipples which linked to the chair's back.

"Sorry for this…"

He spread Netto's legs open and tied some rope on each of them around the ankle and beneath the knee.

"Please tell me if I'm tying it too strong, Netto - kun."

"No. It feels fine. And I'm getting excited for some reason or another."

"I'm going to add one surprise… Please close your eyes for a moment."

Netto closed them and suddenly felt two sharp pains on his nipples, drawings gasps from him.

"Whoa!"

He opened them again and realized that he had clothes pegs attached to them: his right nipple had a red plastic cloth peg facing forward while his left nipple had a wooden one placed in a horizontal position.

"Whoa… I'd never guessed you could use these like that." He whistled.

"This game, S&M, consists of… eh… using… your body to make someone feel excited… There are two roles: master and servant. And you're the servant, Netto – kun."

_Calm down, Oriol… I purged those programs… I'll be gentle with him… And we'll do it friendly… That's it: it's a game… We're playing a game…!_

"The servant, huh? Somehow, that sounds cool." Netto looked interested.

"I'm not surprised you haven't realized it, but… This is more or less what Twilight called a "living Hell"…" Oriol let out.

"I don't see the point of it. This seems fun." Netto frowned.

"That's because I _like_ you, Netto – kun, and I've asked for your permission while being gentle. But those people of the "Secret Empire" would be rude with you and beat you up to force you to be used by bad people to fulfill their lusts…"

"But I don't see how this can make one go crazy…" Netto frowned.

"That's because you've started. But I'm going to be gentle in all stages. Those guys would force you to undergo a lot of strain to your body and mind… And there are real cases of people who lose their sanity."

"Twilight was a jerk, alright." Netto grumbled.

"Sorry for bringing it up, but… I wanted you to be conscious of it. That's another reason I brought you here… Laika didn't intend anything bad, obviously enough, but there are a lot of creeps like those in Sharo, too, you see… They could've acted there, even… That's why I was desperate to protect you by bringing you to this refuge."

"Then you did a good thing." Netto told him.

"R-really…? Eh… Thank you, Netto – kun." He looked relieved.

"So… Legato is playing this with Saito – niisan?" Netto asked.

"Yup. Now that I removed all of his limitations, he was able to realize he really liked Saito, so… This is the reason he's turned gentler with him. Of course, he'll respect you since I respect Saito as well, so he won't do anything out of jealousy."

"If the prologue is over… Can we begin?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. I'll add one last little thing today."

He took out a leather band which had a small red-colored plastic-made spheroid with some holes on it: he attached it to Netto's mouth, thus muffling his voice, and connected the two ends to keep it secure and on place.

"Are you okay, Netto – kun?" Kuroshiro asked.

Netto merely nodded with the head and looked excited.

"Sorry for this."

He suddenly crouched and leant closer to Netto's cock: he gripped the sack with his right hand and used the left to pick Netto's cock by the base: Netto looked down, surprised.

"Here I go."

He suddenly opened his mouth and took the cock into it as pulled the foreskin back with his tongue: he closed his eyes and began to suck and lick around it while he rubbed it: it turned hard.

_W-whoa! T-this feels… rather… good, even…! I'd never guessed… you could taste your own cock…! It turned hard! _Netto excitedly thought.

Kuroshiro began to increase the rhythmic and Netto agitated while sitting on the chair having closed his eyes.

_W-whoa…! I feel like I'm gonna… Sorry, Oriol…!_

He closed his eyes as he felt something coming out in several spurts before his cock lost is hardness and became soft again.

_Huh…? That wasn't… the usual stuff…?_

He opened his eyes and saw how Kuroshiro took his cock out of his mouth, which was filled with a white-like substance: some of it was still coming out of his cock and sliding down it.

"Netto – kun… This is called "cum". It's a liquid which comes out when you play with your body. These little things all boys have inside this sack generate it."

_Whoa! So the cock isn't just there to expel the usual stuff? What a discovery!_

"… Wanna try it?"

_Yeah! Take this out and lemme have a taste of it!_

"I guess you want."

Kuroshiro removed the spheroid and placed his cock inside of Netto's mouth.

"Here I go."

Netto closed his eyes and instinctively pulled the foreskin back and began to lick and suck it: he heard some low-toned moans coming from Oriol as well as a liquid coming out.

_This doesn't seem to be the white stuff._

"Ah… Netto – kun… That's called "pre-cum"… It's a liquid which cleans your cock and makes it be nicer… It's a sign that you're getting excited."

_Cool! A guy's body has many secrets to it, it'd seem! And to think I've been going around not knowing this… I now like this game!_

Netto kept at it for one or two minutes before Kuroshiro cried as he filled Netto's mouth with the white substance.

_Whoa! It feels good!_

Kuroshiro removed his cock and Netto panted to recover his breath: he suddenly found Kuroshiro's face very close to him.

"… Let's share it, Netto – kun."

He suddenly pulled his head forward from behind and made contact with his lips, thus beginning a passionate kiss, to Netto's surprise: he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

_W-w-w-whoa! Our tongues are mixing up… We're kissing, too! It feels good! Wow! What an experience!_

Kuroshiro pulled out and Netto enjoyed the string of saliva and cum interconnecting them.

_Cool!_

"… Netto – kun. I'm going to go for the last part. This time, though… I'll have to enter you."

_Relax, Oriol… It's friendly… It's a game… It's nothing hostile…_

He placed the spheroid back on Netto's mouth and he swallowed the substance.

_Enter me…? He means…? _

Kuroshiro moved behind him and crouched as he rubbed his cock and placed the tip against his insides' entrance.

_Whoa! Are you sure that it'll fit, Oriol?_

Kuroshiro began to push inside and Netto felt how the muscles slowly loosened and opened to allow it in.

_Cool! Come deeper! I wanna feel more of it!_

Kuroshiro pushed it forward until it hit the limit and Netto looked over his right shoulder to look at it.

_Whoa…! You can make your cock come inside of another guy, too!_

"I'm going to start, Netto – kun. Brace yourself."

He began to pull out and push inside at a slightly increasing rhythmic, making Netto feel incredible.

_More! I wanna have more of that! It feels so good!_

"… Netto – kun…! Sorry… I'm going to… release…!" He told him between moans.

_Whoa! _

Kuroshiro pushed inside one last time and cried in pleasure as a rush of cum came out and overflowed Netto's insides: he panted and noticed some if sliding down his cock.

"Netto – kun… Congratulations… I've finally… expressed what I felt… for you…" He made a weak giggle.

_This is a "love"-like game, then? It's totally cool! _

Kuroshiro removed his cock and sighed in relief as he walked in front of Netto and crouched to massage his lower jaw.

"We're gonna play this once a day. It's a deal? And I'll go increasing the level, too."

_Whoa! There's more to this? I wanna feel ALL of it! I'm so thrilled!_

Netto quickly nodded in agreement while Kuroshiro smiled.

"If you can clear all of the levels, then you'll be rewarded, Netto – kun. I promise."

_A reward… Obviously, you get a reward for your efforts… I'll be looking forward to it!_

"I'm going to remove the ropes… But you can keep the gear on and even hide it beneath your usual clothes, too."

_I don't mind: I look so cool with this stuff on!_

Kuroshir calmly removed the ropes, the clothes pegs and the spheroid by storing them on the suitcase: he then unlocked Netto's forearms and stretched as he stood up.

"Hey, Oriol… I'm now relieved. I know you'll be a good guy and play with me." Netto told him.

"R-really?" He sounded surprised.

"So… What's you guys' name?" Netto asked.

"Hum… Truth is… We're still thinking of it."

"Hmmm… A cool and imposing name… Say! Why don't you try "Golden Star"? I mean… Gold is a very important metal, and there are a lot of stars, so… It'd be like you're the coolest guys out there." Netto suggested.

"Golden Star… I like it." He seemed to agree with it.

"Will we meet Mr. Shade at last?" Netto asked.

"Sure. I'll call him. But please put some clothing on… It's on that cupboard."

_Golden Star… I like how it sounds… It fits with Netto – kun's style… _

Netto nodded in understanding and picked his usual set of clothes along with the bandana: Saito walked in at that moment, looking excited.

"So? How was the game like with Legato?" Netto asked.

"Oho! His cock is bigger. It felt incredible." Saito admitted.

"I can see he likes you a lot, too. Are you gonna keep the gear under that bodysuit?" Netto asked.

"Yup. I feel like I'm gonna become stronger thanks to this." Saito looked very happy.

"Heh, heh! These vacations suddenly turned more interesting. Anyway… Let's go meet Mr. Shade." Netto told him as he finished setting up the bandana.

"Okay!"

"Follow me!"

They followed him down a windowless corridor and opened a door into a small living room: it had a stone fireplace (which was currently off), two armchairs, and a small desk.

"Gentlemen. We finally meet."

A man was sitting in one of the armchairs.

He seemed to be around 25 or 26 years old.

His hair was brown in color and his eyes irises' were blue.

He simply wore a black black suit with a brown tie, black pants and brown shoes thus giving him a businessman – like look.

"Eh… Mr. Shade. It may sound rude, but… Do you happen to have any of our genes like Twilight did?" Netto asked.

"No. The only common genetic basis I had with Cousin was the DNA segment of Anaya Maria AKA Ice Queen. Nevertheless, I thought "Brother" would not be a fitting title, so I decided to use "Cousin" instead." Mr. Shade calmly replied with a smile.

"Oh. So that's why… Where did you use to live, if we can know that?"

"Heh, heh, heh… I used a Science Labs storeroom in an abandoned wing as my office from which I monitored everything. I sometimes was closer to you two than you thought, gentlemen." Mr. Shade admitted with a smile.

"Eh… And you do not seek the resurrection of that so-called "Secret Empire", then?" Netto asked.

"No, no! I hated the whole thing even if I was just the emissary to check on the money spent by each institution. I quickly sought to distance myself from it and eventually cooperated with the police to help make the whole affair collapse." He explained.

"That's good!" Saito smiled.

"I am sure that you will have a nice stay here. Consider yourselves our honorable guests." Shade invited.

"Yeah! That sounds good." Netto grinned.

"By the way, Co… I mean… Kuroshiro – kun. Have you come up with a good name?" Shade began only to correct himself.

"Yeah. Netto – kun came up with it: "Golden Star"."

"It sounds imposing." Mr. Shade looked amused.

"… Was he about to call Oriol "Cousin"…?" Netto asked Saito in a hushed tone.

"Oh! Look closer: he looks like a younger Twilight, even. It's no wonder he almost mistook him." Saito realized.

"True… Guess it's another of the guy's ironic things." Netto nodded in agreement.

"Okay… You might share the room if you want to, Netto – kun. Do as you like."

"What will do in the in-between?" Saito asked.

_Ah! I was expecting that question, Saito. Well. No big deal…_

"I've prepared some video games and a laptop. Of course… If you want something else like films, _manga_ or books, I can get them. We'll be spoiling you two a bit."

"It sounds like a good deal." Netto suggested.

"Of course it is: Oriol – sama is a genius." Legato announced.

"We'll be heading back to the room, then. We wanna have a talk."

"See you later, Mr. Shade." Saito added.

"Enjoy." Shade invited.

They waited until the door had been closed and Kuroshiro sighed as he looked at the fireplace.

"So, Kuroshiro – kun…"

"Well… I know we need "THE device" to achieve this but… I tried a more timid approach. I'm trying not to depend on that thing and letting him make his own decisions but… I held myself back. I know we managed to purge ALL of that jerk's fail-safes so…" He admitted.

"Well. As long as you don't get another of those "seizures"… Or maybe I should say "moods"… There could be something left which didn't pick, mind you. " Shade brought up a laptop from a case and booted it up.

"I know, sir, I know… All too well, even… I should be on my toes."

"Sorry. I didn't want you to remember what happened when we were in that "other history"… Which was mine and Cousin's origin but for you it was another stop…"

"Don't mind it, sir. I have to admit my own failures and flaws, sir. I'm not perfect or ultimate, sir, but… I can learn from my mistakes. And improve my behavior too, sir…" Kuroshiro formed a weak smile.

"Relax, Oriol – sama, sir. I am here to support you, sir. We can bury that violent past, sir." Legato tried to encourage him.

_Netto – kun… This time around… I want you to recognize me as a friend!_


	5. Chapter 5: Copy's Attack

**Chapter 5: Copy's Attack**

10:10 AM (London Time), Saturday July the 3rd…

"Shah, shah, shah, shah…! This is the place, Yuriko?"

"Yeah. Try to locate _him_."

Needle Man was stepping into a computer system somewhere in King Land, given how there some ad posters with the flag drawn into them: Yuriko was using her communications window to speak with him.

"… Needle Man?" An echoing voice asked.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Yeah! Me!" Needle Man replied.

"What a surprise."

A Navi stepped forward.

He was almost two meters tall and his main body color was black.

He had a diamond-shaped head with a small white slit surrounded by a purple rim: a blue-colored vertical stripe crossed through it from the top and two more formed under the slit while the top of his head had a blue rectangle-like shape: each side of the head had a descending line which then branched into two and kept on running down the sides of the head.

He had two shirt-neck objects near the neck and a slightly curved stripe directly underneath the neck: another two vertical stripes were set on the sides.

Two slightly diagonal lines originated from the neck and ran until the knees: a couple of lines shaped like ascending and descending triangles were set above and below his chest emblem.

The two main lines had two horizontal stripes set above and below the emblem connecting them: a thin and colorless vertical slit ran down the upper body through the middle of it.

Another two diagonal thin lines marked the beginning of the shoulders from which two arms originated.

They had blue stripes running down its middle section from above and below before they formed a circle around the wrist.

Two black-colored gloved hands of five fingers each came out: each finger had two thin circular stripes above and below the middle section of them.

His main body ended in a slightly circular opening from which his two legs came out: they each had two vertical parallel stripes running down until the knee: each foot only had three fingers shaped like claw fingers and the rear part of each foot had a small ramp-like shape attached to it.

There was a triangle-shaped stripe set around the base of the fingers with another blue stripe around their base.

Two slightly curved extensions formed on his back slightly beneath the head: they had a general Alphabet U letter shape and each one had blue stripe running down its perimeter: these extensions ended into square openings: the insides of them were colored purple.

His chest emblem was a series of vertical stripes of several colors which stood for the light's specters: ultraviolet was set as the leftmost and it climbed up the scale until it reached the infrared.

Overall, the Navi looked powerful and imposing.

"It has been… A year and a half since we last met? Time sure flies by when one is engrossed." The Navi commented with an echoing-like voice which seemed to originate inside of his head.

"Yeah, _Laser Man_… Is yer _Danna_ over there?" Needle Man greeted back before asking. He looked serious today.

"Dr. Regal – sama? I shall contact him." Laser Man asked before announcing.

"There's no need for that." A man's voice which sounded very similar to Laser Man's own replied.

"Dr. Regal – sama. We have visitors." Laser Man politely announced.

A communications window opened, thus displaying a man.

This man looked on his late thirties or close to his forties.

He had jet black hair and some of it ran down the sides of his head in two irregular strings while the rest grew until almost the base of the neck.

His right eye was blue while his left eye had a monocle with a purple rim set over it: the monocle's rim included an arrow pointing towards the left.

His face had some traces of a beard as well.

He wore a custom-looking dress consisting of an overall bright brown wool-like jumper with a grayish/brownish neck.

A purple sweater was set beneath it: the sweater had four small squares set on a row and he also sported wool-like purple-colored pants.

A pattern formed on the jumper's neck: a thick stripe run down the jumper before it divided into two curved stripes which formed a circle and then reunited into one: this process was repeated thrice.

Two incomplete circles were set near the wrists and the wrists had a rim of the same color which formed a curved-shape piece extending into the top of the palm.

The man wore black leather-like gloves as well.

"Dr. Regal." Yuriko announced.

"Yuriko! What a surprise." Dr. Regal welcomed with a smile.

"There's someone else." Yuriko announced.

She stepped to the left and Dr. Wily came onscreen.

"Father…!" Dr. Regal looked surprised.

"What… Did you think I wouldn't speak to you again after you and Yuriko ran off from my lab twelve years ago? You're my foster son, after all, Regal." Wily told him with a smile.

"… True, sir. So… What is the reason for this sudden visit?"

"We've got a crisis." Wily admitted.

"And you need my help?" Dr. Regal guessed.

"Yeah. It goes like this: a "Net Savior" was abducted in Sharo while in company of another fellow Sharo "Net Savior". The culprit is a rebuilt "Darkloid" who goes by the name of Legato. He hinted to be working by a nameless party. His boss goes by the alias of Mr. Black." Yuriko listed as she came back onscreen.

"Hum… Then it was no ordinary man. It is very hard to rebuild something as complex as a "Darkloid"... I heard the news about them ravaving across Japan over a year ago…" Dr. Regal rubbed his chin.

"Can we have some more information?" Laser Man asked.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! The dude let out a riddle. Here ya have." Needle Man announced.

He handed Laser Man a file and he read it.

"… It looks strange." He commented.

"We believe he's taking some foreign names and literally translating them according to the meaning or the concept they stand for. It's a lead to their whereabouts." Yuriko explained.

"By the way… Who is the abducted "Net Savior"?" Dr. Regal asked.

"Hikari Netto: aged thirteen. Net Navi: Rock Man EXE. Resident of Akihara City." Yuriko listed.

"Hikari…? Oh! You mean Hikari – hakase? I met him once in a Japanese conference and he struck me as a very dedicated scientist… Am I to assume Netto – kun is his only son?" Dr. Regal recalled before guessing.

"Correct. Although we already figure out the methodology used, we still cannot know if the culprits are still in Sharo or they skipped to another country altogether." Yuriko confirmed.

"I understand. Then… I shall try to run searches on Mr. Black over here. Will we be in contact?" Dr. Regal announced before asking.

"Correct. Do contact us anytime."

18:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Shuryou. I received a report from Blues."

"Good. How's the investigation proceeding like?"

Freeze Man was kneeling in front of his superior's blurry image while inside of the snow-covered base: a tall diamond-like about five meters tall structure hovered five centimeters over the ground behind him and the Cyber World was filled with snow: a blizzard blew through it.

"We have leads to the culprits: a riddle. It is being analyzed." Freeze Man reported.

"What's the name of the culprit?" Gospel questioned.

"_Monsieur Noir_, according to what Deep Kabase heard." Freeze Man announced.

"Hum… Have you started to run queries in French servers?" Gospel questioned.

"I was awaiting permission." Freeze Man admitted.

"You have it." Gospel replied.

"Yes, sir! I shall go." Freeze Man acknowledged.

Gospel Shuryou sighed in defeat once he'd been left alone and paced around the almost empty room: it only had an armchair, a large diagnostics/repair machine and a laptop.

"_Monsieur Noir_… Wait. Why did they ask for four pairs of bombs? Ah. Maybe they were in need of running simulations in real time to know how much time they needed to detonate, the necessary strength to pull the safety pins out and so on…" He muttered.

He looked out from the Kyutenpa Research Lab's building balcony.

"Che! Twilight is already gone. But we now get a bunch of idiots who claim to be the new "evil"… Anyway… That riddle thing seems rather stupid to me… "Laughing mountain"…"

He lowered his gaze and seemed to be thinking about it.

"… Wait. Maybe it means two mountains which are in opposite ends of a lake? But there must be thousands of spots like that! Hills and abandoned farms… There's also a lot! Besides… We don't know if we're supposed to limit our searches to just Sharo or to the other continents as well." He muttered next.

He grabbed the handrail with the right fist and applied force until the metal bent and deformed.

"… Damn them. I, _Forte_, won't allow 'em to get away with this one. I owe my life to Hikari and Saito and I've been trying to have them be subtly protected… But it hasn't been enough, it'd seem! I'll have to increase our presence…" _Forte_ muttered.

He let go of the deformed metal and stepped back inside while locking the doors and then sitting down on the armchair.

"Maybe… The alias is part of a name? Or it's spoken in French to lead us to France? But Black is a common English name, so… We must look for someone with a lot of money: if they bothered to give two and a half millions to Kabase, then they've got deep pockets. They might have picked off some of the money Twiligt had gathered, even! And they must also be good programmers: even if they picked Legato's backup data from Twilight, no _amateur_ can rebuild them." He thought aloud.

He pulled the table with the laptop closer and began to type into it while opening several programs.

"Hikari, Saito… I'll save you two!" He exclaimed.

However, he didn't notice a dragonfly hidden slightly behind the bulk of the repairs/diagnostics machine.

"… Hmmm… Mr. Forte is getting angry. Intriguing."

Shade was seeing live feed of Forte's actions with his laptop.

"You shall not have any more hints than this one: try to think about my noble riddle… And let's visit Ms. Magnets and Mr. Airstar next…"

"… What? Ten million credits were withdrawn from the Seychelles National Bank?"

"Correct, Tesla –sama."

"Whoa! Ten million!"

"Gotta be a millionaire…"

Magnet Man had brought results over to Tesla and she was surprised, for once: Airstar whistled in admiration while Gyro Man looked surprised.

"The owner is a certain Dr. Yoru Yami…" Magnet Man announced.

"… Twilight! That's the money Twilight robbed from Europe! Laika told me about that!" Airstar grasped.

"So they stole this off the deceased man… But who knew about such a depot existing there to begin with?" Tesla muttered before wondering.

"That K. S. guy… Twilight's Cousin! Maybe he's behind this, even!" Airstar gasped.

"But Blues told me his Operator hasn't been able to find out his name or if K. S. is just a nickname…" Gyro Man brought up.

"If it's a sneaky man we're talking about… There's no mistaking that it's gotta be a nickname." Gauss commented as he joined the talk.

"Oh! Father. Is the lunch ready?" Tesla asked.

"Correct! Today's dinner: roasted duck!" Gauss announced.

"Tesla! This is important! Tell Magnet Man to look elsewhere: we need more info!" He grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. Go to Hong Kong." Tesla distractedly replied as she eyed the roasted duck dish.

"Roger.

"See ya." Gyro Man added.

Airstar sighed while Tesla looked about to devour the duck…

19:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I feel like I have a headache."

"Is that so? Enzan – sama."

Enzan was clutching his forehead while looking out into the nighttime skyline.

"… I feel like… something has already happened…" He muttered.

"… Eh… And by that… You mean that something happened to Netto or Saito, Enzan –sama?" Blues asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah. Don't ask me how I know. I just have that feeling." Enzan replied.

"… Saito…" Blues muttered in a low tone.

_I'll save you. I promise._

"… So? You don't know anything about a man named Mr. Black?"

"Nah. Gotta be a foreigner…"

"Hmpf. Maybe."

Miyabi was questioning a man in front of a pub somewhere and looked unimpressed.

"I'm off."

He stepped away and discreetly prepared a _kunai_ inside of his sleeve while looking around.

"Hum… I feel the malice… Huh!"

He suddenly ducked and dodged a _katana_'s swing which could've cut his neck: the attacker was a carbon-copy-like Shadow Man colored black and white.

"W-what the…?" He cursed.

"What's that?" Shadow Man gasped.

"Don't know. Come, you plebeian!"

The copy tried to attack Miyabi, but he used the _kunai_ to block the blade and then took out a second _kunai_ which he threw at the copy's chest emblem: the _kunai _stabbed it and the copy frizzled.

"A "Copy Roid"!" He realized.

The malfunctioning "Copy Roid" began to swing the _katana_ in a wild manner but Miyabi was easily blocking him off and attacking the hips and wrists of the Copy Shadow Man.

"This thing is annoying me." He grumbled.

"Oil." Shadow Man announced.

"Good."

Miyabi kicked an oil lamp from its hook to the ground and its liquid came out while forming a trail: Copy Shadow Man slid on it and danced around in an erratic manner, dropping the _katana_.

"Now." Miyabi muttered.

He grabbed it and made a vertical cut across its back: the "Copy Roid" began to frizzle even more and suddenly blew up, forcing Miyabi to cross his arms.

"Che. _Kamikaze_." He grumbled.

"So it'd seem. But I've heard of that "carbon copy" thing somewhere else..." Shadow Man muttered.

"They're not joking, then." Miyabi guessed.

"No. And I dunno if they're gonna send more of them after us."

"I'll keep this as a war trophy." Miyabi examined the _katana_.

"Do as you like." Shadow Man shrugged.

"Mr. Black… You want war? I'll give you lowlife war."

"Let the _Sengoku_ begin." Shadow Man announced.

_Prepare yourself!_

12:09 PM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. Experiment: success."

"Is that so? Mr. Shade."

"Yes, Kuroshiro – kun. They must feel like they must discharge their anger into somewhere. There they have it. But it's also a tool to keep them on the edge and trained. It'd no good if they got rusted, would it?"

"True, sir. And it's not something meek, either, sir. It's the real stuff alright, sir."

Shade chuckled as he looked at Miyabi walking away from the spot while some Net Police officers picked the remains of the "Copy Roid": Kuroshiro came in and looked slightly surprised.

"By the way, sir… Has the "benefactor" approached us?" Kuroshiro politely asked.

"I've spoken with them, yes. They'll soon grant us the agreed upon item and development of our devices is progressing." Shade admitted.

"Could I handle those? Since I used to live in the Cyber World myself then I've got a better idea about energy levels and all…"

"I don't mind. Thanks for the help, Kuroshiro – kun."

"It's nothing, sir. I want to feel helpful and make it clear I'm not a pencil-pusher, sir." He calmly replied.

"I've sent the files into your mail account… You'll know where to pick off from when you read them. Maybe Mr. Legato can contribute his share as well. Once the "agent" is recalled then… We'll have their help tackling this project too." Shade announced with a smile.

"True, sir. I'll be leaving, sir. Insofar we're making nice enough progress, sir. I'm sure that over 98% of those programs are gone so it's safe."

"Good. Keep at it, Kuroshiro – kun. This is a trial to your person."

"I know, sir… And I don't intend to fail it, sir! I'll bury that curse yet!"


	6. Chapter 6: Level Up

**Chapter 6: Level Up**

09:29 AM (Switzerland Time), Wednesday July the 7th…

"… Good morning, Saito – kun."

"Hello, Legato."

"Should we begin?"

"Yeah. I'm itching for it."

Saito had stepped into the other room of the Golden Star HQ: it just had the chair set on the middle of it along with a bed and a desk.

"Alright."

Saito touched his bodysuit's chest emblem and seemed to input some commands into it: it slowly faded away to reveal his real body beneath it: he had that S&M gear on.

"I'm ready."

Legato was standing next to the chair, which was covered with a black wool cloak.

"I've decided to go for a Level Up, Saito – kun… We'll be a bit more intense today." He announced.

"I like that. Please prepare me." Saito smiled.

He turned around and stood still as Legato locked his forearms: he then added the red spheroid over his mouth and a black wool blindfold.

"Setup: completed."

He walked over to the chair and tugged the cloak off to reveal a new addition: a 5cm wide black silicon vibrator had been installed into it: the vibrator was filled with spots on its surface and looked rough.

"Heh, heh, heh… It'll be fun!" He muttered aloud.

He spotted how Saito had walked backwards towards the chair and stopped once the heels made contact with the chair's front legs.

"Yes… Over here."

He began to slowly sit down and soon noticed the vibrator pushing against his insides' entrances.

"This is a 5cm vibrator, Saito – kun. Test it out: you'll see Heaven." Legato invited.

Saito calmly lowered himself and let the vibrator force its way into his insides as he sat down: he finally managed to get all of it inside and lifted his head as if gasping.

"Does it feel good, Saito – kun?" Legato asked.

Saito quickly nodded in agreement with his head.

"I'm going to immobilize you. Is that okay?" Legato checked.

Saito nodded in agreement yet again, so Legato picked the ropes and tied Saito into the chair: he then picked the clothes pegs and attached them to his nipples and to his sack as well.

"It's gonna be very intense. Are you ready, Saito – kun?" Legato warned.

Saito merely shrugged his shoulders, so Legato began to toy with the clothes pegs on his sack by pulling them and licking the base of his cock.

"How's this?"

Saito seemed to be enjoying it, so Legato began to lick the head of the cock and harden it.

_His pre-cum is coming out: he's getting excited. That's good to see: he's committed to enjoying this… He's so honest… I'm so fortunate, really!_

Legato kept on playing with his sack while he took Saito's cock into his mouth and licked it while making sure to pass his tongue over the hole to further excite him.

_Heh, heh, heh. This will make him see Heaven._

Saito soon arched his body as several quick and vigorous spurts filled Legato's mouth with the white fluid.

_Heh, heh, heh… My. He's improving by leaps and bounds. He'll soon be a good toy-boy. Not like I intend to enslave him… This is "friendly" sex. _

Legato stood up and removed the section of his bodysuit which covered his cock: it was quite big and thick.

"Here it comes, Saito – kun."

He then approached it to Saito's nose and he began to smell: Legato softly slid it under Saito's nose until he reached the sack: Saito smelled further and rubbed the base of Legato's cock with his nose.

_His instincts are good. Excellent… He's going to do me a good and neat blowjob today… I love these moments: it's when my skills can be learned by someone as cute as MY Saito – kun. Kidding. I mean… My friend._

Legato removed the spheroid so Saito slowly pulled the foreskin back and began to lick and suck Legato's cock.

"Yes… Like this…"

Legato slowly pushed his head forward and let Saito take in more and more of his cock: he never slowed down and he quickly began to increase the pace.

_I can feel it coming… Please accept it, Saito – kun! Heh, heh, heh!_

Legato released in several spurts and overfilled the boy's mouth: but he also licked the head clean as some more cum came out and made sure to take it in.

_He's starting to like it. _

He removed the cock and began to share a passionate kiss with Saito while using his left hand to toy with the clothes pegs attached to his nipples: he didn't seem to notice it, even.

_Heh, heh! This playing turns him on, too… He's slowly gaining a masochist feeling… He'll want me to further exploit it! But let's not overdo it either!_

Legato broke the kiss and replaced the spheroid before he moved behind him and crouched.

"I'll let you experience the equivalent to two cocks inside of your excellent body, Saito – kun." He announced.

Saito merely nodded for him to go ahead, so Legato slowly inserted his cock and widened the entrance to the maximum.

"Starting to like this?"

He began to pull out and push in while he leant forward to keep on playing with Saito's clothes pegs.

"You must be feeling incredible. Am I right, Saito – kun?" Legato softly asked of him.

Saito confirmed it by nodding with his head and Legato increased his pace until the released.

"Ah… Good, good…"

He then took his cock out and used a handkerchief to cleanse it before replacing the section of his bodysuit.

"I'll let you know the power of this vibrator, Saito – kun." Legato announced.

He picked a remote and turned the vibrator to "MAX" mode with a grin on his face.

_Heh, heh, heh. Let's test him. He wants to find out his body's secrets…_

The vibrator began to buzz and Saito convulsed his body, seemingly trying to match his movements to the vibrator's own frequency.

_He wishes to see the white world… Heh, heh, heh… How lovely. Saito – kun is a superb cute boy. And Twilight won't be around to harm him!_

Saito then arched his body backwards as he suddenly came to and stained his own face and upper torso: he then hung his head down as Legato slowly reduced the vibrator's speed and then turned it off.

"Alright. That's enough for today. Let's wrap it up, Saito – kun, but, my, you're making incredible progress."

Legato then removed the blindfold to see Saito's eyes: he looked in ecstasy and seemed to have gone through sensory overload.

"You're in the white world, eh, my dear?"

Legato whistled a tune as he removed the spheroid and began to untie Saito from the chair.

"Hum, hum, hum… _Let the bodies hit the floor_…"

He slowly lifted him up to remove him from the chair and sat him on the bed.

"Now let's wait."

After three or four minutes, Saito's eyes began to shine with consciousness and life: he suddenly let out a large sigh of pleasure as he stretched his body.

"Wow… I saw it… the white world… nothing… you feel nothing… it's gotta be… the closest… you can get to Heaven… while alive…" He slowly muttered while sounding awed.

"Yeah. That's correct, Saito – kun." Legato confirmed as he softly removed the clothes pegs.

"… Legato… If I keep on like this… I could clear the Game?" Saito asked as he looked up: he seemed excited.

"Of course. You said it before, didn't you, Saito – kun? You and your otouto can create infinite power." Legato told him.

"True… Then, with that power… I'll become stronger… I'll grow up… And leave the sad past behind…" Saito sounded eager.

"I'm not forcing you, Saito – kun. Make your own choices."

"Yeah… I know you're not obliging me… None of you would want to end up like pawns…" Saito shrugged.

"I guess your otouto must be done by now, so… Will you go compare records with him? Yours stands at 02:38, Saito – kun."

"Yeah. See ya around, Legato…" Saito looked amused.

He stood up and snapped his right hand's fingers: his bodysuit reformed on its totality expect for the helmet.

"I like letting my hair loose… I've had it cramped inside of that helmet too many times." Saito muttered.

He whistled a tune as he stepped while Legato finished picking up the materiel and store it inside of the wheeled suitcase.

"Let us go prepare more Copies for the guys out there to play with…" He muttered with a hint of amusement.

"… Yo! Saito – niisan. You're done?"

"Yup. So?"

Saito had stepped into their joint room to see Netto already dressed back and doing something with a silver-colored SONY VAIO laptop set on top of a desk.

"Record: 02:38." Saito told Netto.

"Record: 02:49." Netto told Saito.

"You're 11 seconds slower, huh? You must want to drag it on." Saito amusedly commented.

"I do. This is life." Netto replied.

"So? What game did you pick today?" Saito asked as looked over Netto's right shoulder.

"I picked a quick-paced platform game. It's cool." Netto replied.

"Okay. I'll sit and have a look. Please let me try the next stage if you can get there." Saito requested.

"Deal!" Netto grinned.

"… So… They're still looking in France and King Land. That's good: it was just as we expected."

"It would Ms. Magnets' bank knowledge is providing them some hints, though…"

"Oh?"

Kuroshiro was sitting on the armchair in front of Shade, who was reporting the movements of the "Net Saviors" with a smile.

"Ms. Magnets found out about me drawing the money in Cousin's Seychelles accounts… But they suspect my initials are a nickname, so there's no immediate danger. But they wouldn't think of my involvement, either." Shade explained.

"Heh, heh. We "Golden Star" are too clever to be found just like that."

"That's true, Kuroshiro – kun. I have managed to find a potential agent to recruit, you see. He could prove to be useful. He would work under my command. What do you think?" Shade exposed.

"Brilliant, sir. And let's have him go by the "Need Not To Know" rule: he won't know who we really are, sir." Kuroshiro suggested.

"I'm glad to see that we agree on that. Let us provide some games for the "Net Saviors" to play. Shall we?"

"Delighted, sir."

"By the way… Are you making progress?"

"Yes, sir. I'm really managing to keep it down-tuned and I haven't touched the controls or parameters of the device at all. I'm trying to let them evolve on their own from the basis. The feedback can be helpful."

"Good. Sometimes these methods are necessary. But even with a small influence the change is great… There was a saying… Even a pebble can change the course of a great river… I believe it's a Zen quote to indicate that even a small thing can affect a larger thing…"

"Interesting, sir. Yes, sir. That's what we're doing here, sir."

"Good. Enough chit-chat. Let's make sure they don't get rusted and see if they live up to their reputation…"

16:56 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Damn! I'd never thought I'd have to go through this again! Damn them!"

"Beware, Enzan – sama! It will attack from the right!"

"CF" Blues was facing one of those carbon Copies: it was a copy of Blues' own form and they were fighting in the submarine restaurant of the Aquarius Hotel, given the decoration.

"Che! I came here to firm a deal and this thing comes out of the blue to bother me!" "CF" Blues grumbled.

Copy Blues jumped back and in top of a table: he kicked a metal teapot over "CF" Blues, who ducked.

"Yikes!"

He then spotted the Copy picking a metal tray and aiming for one of the restaurant's view windows.

"… Shit! No good! He wants to flood the entire place! Battle Chip, Area Steal!" "CF" Blues cursed.

He warped in front of the Copy Blues and slashed its chest emblem, thus making its "Copy Roid" body frizzle: he dropped the platter and fell down from the table.

"Give it up!" "CF" Blues commanded.

Copy Blues merely jumped back to its feet while having the Muramasa Blade draw.

"Shit." "CF" Blues cursed.

Copy Blues jumped towards him and "CF" Blues suddenly aimed for its knees: he cut the air and sliced its knees off.

"Stop already, you!"

Copy Blues didn't seem to notice it as he was holding the Muramasa Blade in horizontal position and aiming for "CF" Blues' neck.

"Grah! Stop! Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"

He shot a close-quarters blast with the Tank Cannon and sent Copy Blues flying across the room: it exploded in mid-air and only some scare pieces remained of the "Copy Roid" afterwards.

"Damn. They always self-destruct when we're so close to stopping them… And if we try to disable their fighting capability, they self-destruct as well… This Mr. Black lowlife… He's gotta be looking at us with a smug smile on his petty face." "CF" Blues cursed.

"… Achoo!"

"Did you get a cold, Kuroshiro – kun?"

Kuroshiro blew his nose with a handkerchief and didn't look amused in the very least.

"One thing I could live without." He muttered with some annoyance.

"… Someone must be badmouthing you, I guess." Shade smiled as he glanced at his laptop's screen.

"Enzan, huh… He's always been fond of that language. Can't blame 'im, I guess. Having such an impersonal progenitor…" Kuroshiro shrugged.

"Heh, heh, heh. Ironies of life, maybe?" Shade chuckled.

"… Enzan – kun! How's the situation over there?" Meijin asked of him in the meanwhile.

"Enemy: defeated." "CF" Blues reported.

"… This is the fifth case already… We had Shadow Man on Saturday… Napalm Man on Sunday… Knight Man on Monday… Gyro Man on Tuesday… And we had Blues today… I guess we'll have another of the remaining former "Duo's Crest" owners." Meijin listed.

"Yeah. I get that same feeling." Blues agreed on it.

"… Cross Out!"

"Roger, sir."

Enzan picked the reformed Link PET and then eyed the chaos the Aquarium Hotel Restaurant had become.

"Che. I won't let you guys get away with it!" He grumbled with obvious annoyance.

_Netto! Saito! Resist! We're doing everything we can…! Please…!_

"Enzan – sama. A call from Ooyama."

"Not again."

"ENZA~N!"

"Dekao. Go to the Seychelles."

"The Sei-what?"

"Seychelles. Tropical islands. Cook Airstar's and Magnet's meals along with Gauss Magnets, will you?"

"Hey! Cook for hire! Brilliant!" He grinned.

"Isn't it?" Enzan played along.

"Heh, heh, heh! Yeah! I'll…! HEY! You tricked me!"

"All's fair in war."

"This ain't a war!"

"Who knows? Ask Hinoken."

"Yeah! The guy's right, Dekao! Behave like a man!" Hinoken grumbled off-screen.

"But, Master Hinoken…"

"No buts! This curry is horrible compared to that of the 64.800 guests' party in King Land back in October! I know you can do better than this so MOVE YOUR LEGS! ON THE DOUBLE!" Hinoken yelled.

"Yikes!"

_Oh come on. As if fighting these things wasn't enough trouble…!_


	7. Chapter 7: Action packed chase

**Chapter 7: Action – packed chase**

15:05 PM (Japan Time), Friday July the 9th…

"… Grah! Tomahawk Swing!"

"Focus, Dingo!"

"Whaddya think I'm doin'?"

"Rushing it all."

"CF" Dingo was confronting Copy Tomahawk Man in the alleyway next to the Maha Ichiban's building: "CF" Dingo looked nervous and his moves didn't seem to be very coordinated, hence the real Tomahawk Man's scolding.

"Che! Totem – sama!"

The totem appeared and shot down meteors which inflicted heavy damage to Copy Tomahawk Man given elemental weakness: the "Copy Roid" began to frizzle and Copy Tomahawk Man used an Area Steal to warp elsewhere.

"Where…?" "CF" Dingo wondered.

Copy Tomahawk Man suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed him by beneath the armpits.

"Whoa!"

It suddenly propelled itself skywards with "CF" Dingo in tow as it began to glow in a menacing white light.

"Damn. Lemme go, you!"

"CF" Dingo hit the right side of the adversary's torso but he didn't let go at all: he then tried to kick the right knee, but it didn't take effect either.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

Fire surrounded him and he forced Copy Tomahawk Man to let go at last as he shot towards the Maha Ichiban's roof while curling.

"Phew!"

The adversary finally exploded and some remains of the "Copy Roid" rained down around the area: the "Dimensional Area" faded.

"They're _kamikaze_ copies!" He grumbled.

"Yeah. Sweep." Tomahawk Man summarized.

"Good job, Dingo – kun." Meijin told him.

"Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iranai_. We had Search Man on yesterday and we now have Tomahawk Man… That makes seven. There could be another five or six left." Meijin commented.

"These guys wanna die with some company, it'd seem! We should warn the others…" "CF" Dingo suggested.

"Yeah. We're going to do so. Good afternoon."

Dingo sighed and placed the Link PET on the holder before he climbed down to street level and entered the store.

"I heard the scandal. Are you okay?" Hinoken asked.

"Yeah… Somehow." He grumbled.

"_By George!_ This was_ cheating_!" Count Elec exclaimed.

"Guess so." Madoi dully commented.

"…"One's biggest weakness is its own self"… They must be going by the proverb." Maha quoted before adding his opinion.

"Hum…" Dr. Wily seemed to be thinking about it.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! If I find that crappy copy of me, then I'm so gonna make cuts and scars to it!" Needle Man announced.

"Do as you like." Yuriko replied.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! That goes sans sayin'!" He grinned.

20:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh?"

The cleaning staff person was using a portable stair to reach for the top of the fluorescent lights where the metallic structure was at: they picked up the dragonfly with care and looked at it: the wings were damaged.

"… Strange. How did it get damaged like that?" It wondered in a low tone of voice.

"Blame my _kunai_." A familiar voice replied with a hint of sarcasm.

The person gasped and spotted Dark Miyabi at the foot of the staircase: he had his arms folded and looked amused.

"Dark Miyabi!" The person exclaimed.

"Oh? You know about me?" He sounded amused.

"How did you know about the dragonfly?" The person questioned.

"The fluorescent light... It was always flickering. I asked for a replacement but it kept on doing the same thing. I then remembered fluorescent lights are sensible to EM waves, so there had to be something like a microphone, a camera or a dragonfly micro robot messing with it by pure accident. Even though the frequencies are different…" Miyabi exposed.

"… Hmpf. Clever." The person scoffed.

"Give it up, whoever you are. I guess you work for Mr. Black." Miyabi told the person.

"No. I work for President Hades of "Golden Star", "Net Savior"..." The person made a grin.

"Golden Star…? So that's your gang's name?" He guessed.

"Indeed. And the one you call "Mr. Black" is Vice President _Noir_. He and President Hades control their own administrations." The spy told him with a smile.

"They ordered you to babble about that if you were caught, huh?"

"Correct. However… You people cannot hope to stand up to Golden Star's power. The Shadows are just a plaything. The real show is about to begin, you powerless humans…" The person put up a smug smile.

"You'll confess the rest later." Miyabi announced as he took out the _katana_ he'd picked from Copy Shadow Man.

Suddenly, though, the person jumped off the staircase and delivered a kick to Miyabi's upper torso with the right foot.

"OOFF!"

He felt the air being knocked out of him and he recoiled in an erratic manner.

"Hmpf!"

The person then pushed him asides with the right shoulder and ran off into the corridor.

"Gr… grah… uh… Spy! Spy! Catch that person!" He called out.

Two policemen on the corridor reacted and tried to block the person off, but they suddenly formed a yellowish sword on its right hand: they brandished it and kicked the two policemen out of the way.

"Foolish humans. You beings deserve Heavenly punishment." The person muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Stop!" Miyabi called out as he ran towards them.

"Che. Fast. In that case…" They grumbled.

They hit the window with the sword and shattered it, thus jumping off into the emergency fire stairs of the 7th floor: they began to run them down while Miyabi skipped them by climbing over the handrail and grabbing into the lower level's handrail.

"How long will you be able to resist?" The spy challenged.

They suddenly swung the sword and cut off the handrail of that floor, forcing Miyabi to grab into the lower floor's one.

"Huh!"

The person suddenly jumped out of the stairs and into the street while running.

"You know, Miyabi… That yellow sword… I've heard about it somewhere before." Shadow Man brought up.

"Ask Blues or Search Man later." Miyabi replied.

"Okay. I'll contact Blues: he might be able to help us."

Miyabi merely nodded in agreement and saw how the spy climbed into a white Toyota parked nearby and sped away.

_Registration plate: 4967 XHD. Gotcha._

He looked around and spotted a patrol car.

"Plug In! Shadow Man, Transmission!"

Shadow Man unlocked the car and Miyabi climbed in: he turned on the siren and began to chase the spy's car: the spy spotted it through the rearview mirror and put up a smug smile.

"Hmpf."

They pressed a button without label next to the radio controls and one LED turned on.

"Code 999. Code 999." It announced.

"I copy. Over." A distorted voice replied.

"Dark Miyabi set a trap. I am being chased. I need something to shake him off." The spy reported.

"… Ou - sama will do fine. I'll ask for a favor of Vice President _Noir_."

"Roger."

"Over."

The spy smiled and suddenly turned to the left, surprising Miyabi.

"What!"

He didn't have time to chase the car because a large truck was circulating down the opposite lane.

"Che. What timing, really." He grumbled.

"Miyabi. Blues is chasing the spy with an IPC limo." Shadow Man reported through the PET.

"Okay. Let's chase it, too."

He finally managed to pick the left turn and accelerated.

"… Vice President! Is that the car in question?"

"It is. Please be careful."

"Yes, sir."

Enzan was sitting inside of an IPC limo's rear seat when the driver had contacted him: Enzan could see the other car about thirty meters ahead of them.

"Hru~m!"

All of a sudden, though, some data popped out of nowhere and began to join together.

"A Navi?" Enzan wondered.

The data finally assumed a Navi's shape: Pharaoh Man.

"Pharaoh Man!" Enzan gasped.

"Golden Star's work!" Blues exclaimed.

"Hmpf. Delete!"

He pointed an accusing finger at the limo and the infamous laser began to form on his forehead.

"… Turn to the right!" Enzan commanded.

"Roger!"

The driver turned to the right just in time, since the laser sliced through the air where the limo had been at a second ago.

"They're serious. Stop!" Enzan grumbled before issuing an order.

The limo stopped and Enzan climbed down.

"Meijin! I need a "Dimensional Area"!" He called out.

"Roger! Dimensional Area: Engage!" He announced.

Miyabi's patrol car also braked close by and they both nodded in agreement.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

They both performed "Cross Fusion" and faced the guy.

"Miyabi! Chase the spy. I'll deal with this guy." "CF" Blues told him.

"Area Steal!"

"Hmpf! One mere mortal shall not be able to stop Golden Star's forthcoming Reign!" Pharaoh Man announced.

"Whom do you work for?" "CF" Blues demanded.

"The great leader: Vice President _Noir_!" He announced.

"What have you done to Hikari Netto and Rock Man?" He questioned Pharaoh Man.

"What?" He seemed to have not heard him well.

"Answer me!"

"Hmpf. I just follow orders! I have no reason to know things which aren't vital to my survival." Pharaoh Man scoffed.

"Che. Should've expected it, huh… Neo Variable Sword!"

"Meteor!"

"CF" Blues dodged the falling meteors and jumped towards Pharaoh Man while brandishing his Neo Variable Sword.

"Hum!"

The laser suddenly ignited and hit him in the chest emblem, pushing him back into the ground.

"Grah!"

"Pharaoh Cubes!"

"CF" Blues rolled across the ground to dodge the cubes and managed to stand up, panting.

"Sonic Boom!"

"Dream Aura!"

The Dream Aura deflected the Sonic Boom.

"Damn. They've become independent model Navis." He cursed.

"Bothersome mice." Blues grumbled.

"… Phew."

The spy parked the car in front of a decrepit-looking and abandoned house: they ran towards the front door, but it suddenly froze as they approached that.

"What?" It gasped.

"Hitherto shall thou come, but no further. Job 38:11." A familiar voice announced.

Freeze Man materialized and landed in front of the spy.

"Freeze Man!" The spy cursed.

"You seem to be well briefed for being a spy."

"Hmpf. The "spy" thing was a game President Hades came up with. I am his honorable assistant." The person announced.

"Intriguing. You shall tell us more when the Net Police catches you. And I'm sure I've seen that sword somewhere else, too."

"Heh. Rather rusty memory files! Is that not it?" The person mocked.

"Che." Freeze Man grumbled.

"No more running away!" "CF" Miyabi announced as he appeared on the area.

"I wonder 'bout that. Delta Ray Edge!"

A red triangle formed out of nowhere and impacted "CF" Miyabi's torso, propelling him towards a perimeter wall and getting stuck there.

"Guoh!"

"Who the…?" Freeze Man cursed.

"Eat these!"

Some red-colored spheres of energy shot out and bombarded Freeze Man, who had to shield himself.

"Sonic Boom!"

The attack hit Freeze Man's waist and kicked him into the ground in a hard manner.

"Gruoh!"

Legato suddenly dropped down from the house's roof while having a broad smile on his face.

"…"Divide and conquer"… You guys aren't the only ones who know 'bout that." He announced with some amusement.

"Legato!" The spy gasped.

"I apologize for the delay. President Hades thought it would be abusing too much of Vice President _Noir_." Legato apologized in a polite manner as if he was addressing someone with higher rank.

"His mannerisms can be a bother sometimes." The spy muttered with a hint of slight annoyance.

"… Elemental Sword!"

"GUO~H!"

There was the sound of an explosion not too far away and "CF" Blues suddenly warped into the area.

"Legato!" He gasped.

"You lowlife!" Blues cursed.

"That was my motto." He amusedly replied.

"Hmmm… Pharaoh Man got bested. We should have added more HP to him but we rushed it a bit too much." The spy muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"CF" Miyabi and Freeze Man had recovered by now.

"Give it up! It's three – on – one!" "CF" Blues announced.

"Who said I cannot fight?" The spy suddenly challenged.

They lifted its right arm and a red line was drawn on the sky: this line suddenly began to glow and an explosion ensued: the resulting heat and shockwave melted or broke the ice.

"GRUA~H!"

Legato brought the door to the ground and both of them ran inside of the house.

"Aren't you making it too obvious about your true colors?" Legato asked the spy.

"They have forgotten my "predecessor", obviously enough."

"Guess so…" Legato shrugged.

"Wait!"

They both gasped to see "CF" Blues chasing them: he had some bruises and hits, but he still looked in shape.

"Should've expected it from Enzan… Hard to chew." Legato grumbled with some annoyance.

"Stall for time." The spy commanded.

"Roger."

The spy opened the basement door and rushed down it while Legato stood there with a smug smile on his face.

"So! Enzan! Have you decided who'll take up your post once you're dead and buried?" He challenged.

"The outcome isn't decided yet!" "CF" Blues shot back.

"Delta Ray Edge!"

Legato did the same trick again and "CF" Blues was kicked backwards but he was already running down into the basement.

"Heh. Too easy, too easy."

The basement contained a curious machine: it had a pyramid-like metallic base and a tall ring-like structure tall enough for a person to pit and rows of monitors and other devices were attached to both sides of it.

"The machine…"

It currently had a purple mass of energy inside of the ring and the spy was standing next to it.

"Get in!" It commanded.

"Roger!"

Legato ran inside and vanished while the spy quickly programmed something using a holographic keyboard.

"Ten seconds will be enough." It muttered.

SLAM!

"CF" Blues kicked the door open and raced in, looking rather tired but still standing.

"Eyesore human. Do you not understand? Your fate has already been decided. You shall not meet them again. Ever."

"What!" "CF" Blues gasped.

"Farewell. Ijuuin Enzan. Blues."

They ran into the purple energy mass and "CF" Blues was about to do the same when it suddenly vanished and the machine's hum died down: a holographic screen with some numbers on it popped out.

00:00:10

"Self-destruct device, you say!" He gasped.

"Enzan – sama! It is dangerous!" Blues warned.

"Che! Area Steal!"

"CF" Blues warped outside of the house and spotted that "CF" Miyabi and Freeze Man were back to his feet.

"Run! There's a self-destruct device in the basement!" He commanded.

They ran away just in time, since a brutal explosion ensued and the area shook in violent manner: the house remained quite intact, however.

"Damn. We lost them." Freeze Man cursed.

"Huh? What's this?" "CF" Miyabi wondered.

He picked a torn paper with an unknown English handwriting.

"Transfer to Rocky Mountains HQ"

"…"Rocky Mountains HQ"…? That's in Ameroupe!" "CF" Blues gasped.

"Hum! Maybe they wanted us to get stuck in Europe while they hide there?"

"… I'd say it's a trap. I saw the spy _purposely _dropping it."

"I see. Well then… I'll contact Detective Hunter. He might know something about this." "CF" Blues announced.

"However… That spy is rather strange. Maybe it isn't a human but a Net Navi using a disguise?" "CF" Miyabi brought up.

"I remember that "Darkloid" Spark Man once tried to fool Rock Man and Wood Man by posing as a train employee Navi. And he was very bulky, mind you." Freeze Man recalled.

"… A Navi… Those abilities… Where have I seen them before?" "CF" Blues wondered.

"Anyway! Let's call the firefighters to put out the basement fire." "CF" Miyabi suggested.

"And let's go sleep. We're exhausted." Blues suggested.

"Yeah. This evening has been too action-packed." Shadow Man admitted.

"Let's go!" Freeze Man rallied.

_Golden Star… Blues and I will defeat you guys!_

"Miyabi. Ooyama's calling."

"Ooyama Dekao?" He wondered.

"MIYABI~! I WANNA DO "CROSS FUSION"!"

"Ask the Science Labs, disciple." He shot back.

"I'll put spice in the curry~!" Dekao threatened.

"Go ahead."

"DEKAO! Threatening a regular customer? My anger is about to come down upon you!" Maha threatened off-screen.

"YIKES!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Dr. Wily's chuckle rang out.

"Dr. Wily. I don't see the grace of this if there's any."

"You never know, Miyabi, you never know…" He teased.

"I know. And this chit-chat is pointless, anyway. Let's go."

_If these fools want to challenge a _sengoku _- era _ninja _family then they'll have it coming on them! _Nin_! Draw out your blades!_


	8. Chapter 8: A new member

**Chapter 8: A new member**

13:33 PM (Switzerland Time), Friday July the 9th…

"… I apologize."

"There is no need for."

"Is that so?"

The spy was standing in front of Shade's armchair: they had their gaze lowered and there was no way to tell their gender given the low volume of their voice.

"It was a clever trap. That is there is to it… _Mademoiselle_." Shade replied before using a French honorific.

"… I understand. What is my next mission?" The spy asked.

"You should rework your battle strategies and make sure to bring out your full power. As long as Forte doesn't show up, no one else shall be able to stand to your power." Shade politely suggested.

"… Roger. Good morning, President Hades."

The spy calmly walked out of the living room as Kuroshiro came in: he kept on sporting his usual middle black clothes and the sunglasses.

"By the way… Mr. Shade. Weren't we expecting our new member to come today?"

"True. The train from Lucerne to Stansstad arrived at 13:10… And if he got a taxi, it shouldn't be even 20 minutes to here by the A2 highway… It's 13:33… He should be about to arrive." Shade replied as he typed into the laptop.

DING DONG

A bell echoed in the upper floors.

"Here he is. I shall go greet him." Shade smiled.

"Roger, sir."

He stood up and headed outside of the room: he could be heard climbing a wood staircase and then unlocking a door at ground level.

"Welcome."

There was the sound of the door closing and two sets of footsteps coming down: Shade came back in followed by another person.

"Here he is."

The newcomer was a young man around 14 or 15 years old and of clear Japanese traits: his height could be close to a meter and sixty.

His eyes' irises were emerald green and his jet black hair was totally uncared for having small spikes aiming everywhere.

His clothes were a black sleeveless vest over a white t-shirt, a pair of jeans and black boots plus fingerless gloves and sunglasses.

His Link PET was colored blue and white and its emblem was a golden Alphabet "X" character as an emblem.

"Vice President _Noir_. Let me introduce you to Zarashe Wan – kun: Japanese descendant and resident of Lucerne. 13 years old." Shade introduced.

"How do you do?" Kuroshiro greeted with a hand.

"I am honored to be taken in, gentlemen." Zarashe politely replied.

"Remember, Zarashe – kun: you shall be working under my Hades Administration." Mr. Shade reminded him.

"I understand. Hey! Beta X! Come out and say hi." Zarashe replied before addressing his Navi.

"Sure."

The Navi projected with the hologram next.

His main body's color choice was black: he had a white piece of armor set over the chest which contained a ruby jewel and two wing-like extensions spreading across the torso until the shoulders.

The golden-colored Alphabet "X" character was set within a piece of armor located over the upper edge of the ruby.

His helmet's main color was black as well yet he had some blue pieces of armor built around the edges of it and across the middle of the helmet.

The ruby had been set directly above his nose and was aiming downwards.

The helmet included five extensions shaped like wings and colored white plus a golden edge: two formed on the lower edge of the helmet, another two formed at a height over the eyes and the last one sprouted from the middle of his helmet while aiming upwards.

His eyes' irises were blood red in coloring but they lacked pupils: his facial expression denoted seriousness.

A golden edge surrounded his neck and formed a small collar-like object around it: his shoulders had white armor over it: three thin spear-like extensions formed behind them and gave off the impression of a wing as well: the uppermost piece was golden in coloring while the other two pieces were white.

His arms' skin was black until the elbow: white armor encompassed it and extended until the hands and fingers: a golden ring served as additional protection for the wrists.

The rest of his upper body had no decoration whatsoever until the hips, where the leg armor began at: a golden edge in the shape of a triangle marked the start of it.

The rest of the legs' armor was painted using white color palette: the knees had extra armor over them and two small and short wing-like extensions.

Golden pieces of armor showed up over the ankles yet there was a space between them and the legs: they were bent upwards to form a triangle and included the wing shapes on their edges.

Lastly, his feet's armor included two pieces of outer edge and another two pieces.

These pieces were separated by a slight space between the front and the rear of them.

Overall, his appearance was reminiscent of a "fallen angel" given the color motifs and all the winged extensions.

He now had his arms aiming downwards parallel to his body and looked serious yet welcoming at the same time.

"I am Beta X. I am glad to be given this honor." He announced.

"Let me guide you to your room, Zarashe – kun." Shade announced.

"Yes, sir. Have a good morning, Vice President _Noir_."

"Welcome aboard."

Shade guided Zrashe into a room labeled with his name and opened it up so both came in.

"Well?"

The room had a bed, a desk, a closed laptop and an adjacent bathroom: there was an open window allowing wide views into the village and the great lake near it: sunlight and fresh air entered the room, giving it a comfortable look.

"Wow. This is a nice room." Zarashe commented.

"Yeah. It looks better than the one in the orphanage." Beta X commented.

"Oh! Before I forget… Zarashe – kun. We'd like to install a powerful ability into Beta X to be able to stand his ground against possible adversaries."

"It sounds thrilling." Beta X commented with a smile.

"Doesn't it? Please go ahead, sir." Zarashe told Mr. Shade as he handed him the Link PET.

"Excellent. We shall be done in less than an hour's time. Please make yourself at home, Zarashe – kun." Shade invited.

"Thank you very much. See you later, Beta."

"Yeah. Later, Zarashe – kun."

Shade stepped out of the room and headed into an adjacent room containing a Navi diagnostic/repair machine as well as a mysterious cylinder-shaped structure.

_Heh, heh, heh. That's it, that's it…_

This cylinder seemed to be about two meters tall and it had a circular base and top: various pipes and wires were linked to it along with a laptop the screen of which was currently displaying a screensaver.

_We can't let anyone know… yet._

The laptop's screen saver was a golden-colored five-pointed star set against a black background and having a silver rim.

"… What's that machine?" Beta X asked.

"I am sorry. But it's classified." Shade replied.

"Then I shall not ask." Beta X calmly replied.

"Excellent. Plug In!"

Beta X entered the machine and his form was displayed over a monitor while Shade worked with the keyboard.

"I'll need to disconnect your consciousness during the install." He warned.

"Obviously. Let's begin, President Hades." Beta X shrugged.

"Sleep well."

"Thank you."

Beta X closed his eyes as the typical data analysis rings circled his Navi frame along with a silver-colored sphere of energy.

"Good, good… Let's make sure the installation is stable enough. Huh? Mail into my PET… Oho. Atomize an atomizer… The popular motto! They are challenging me, then? Come anytime, gentlemen."

_I'll come up with an intriguing pun too! Heh, heh, heh!_

13:39 PM (Switzerland Time)…

"… So… You hired a guy to do field missions?"

"Yup. That's correct."

Kuroshiro had come into the twins' room and was speaking with Netto: both were sitting down on chairs facing each other.

"And we're trying to install on him a new version of the Style Change, too."

"Whoa! The Style Change… I'd forgotten about it: it's been too long since we stopped using it! The only flaw it had was its randomness." Netto whistled in surprise.

"Sure."

Saito came out of the bathroom after having combed his hair to make it be smooth and structured.

"Oh. Good morning, Saito. It'd seem you were working on your hair, weren't you?" Oriol greeted with a smile.

"Yup. I like it now that I can keep it outside of my helmet." Saito admitted with a smile.

"Yeah. Anyway… Zarashe – kun will be working on keeping the "Net Saviors" busy with his Style Change Ability."

"So… How many of those "Shadow Copies" are pending to be sent out there?" Netto asked.

"Six."

"I think it is an interesting challenge to pit the "Cross Fusion" users against their own Navis." Saito commented.

"Yeah. Because they then know their Navis' flaws and can correct them the next time they have a fight." Netto exposed.

"And we make sure they don't get rusted either. Because then they could be easily picked off!"

"Say… Why don't you guys send my Shadow Copy to make Laika and Search Man sweat a bit? It'll be like what happened with the Phantom Navis." Saito suggested with a grin.

"Oho! I'd love to see Laika sweating a bit. He's always too cold. He needs some heating up." Netto looked amused.

"Sure! We'll save that one for the last. We're still working on preparing an impressive _debut_."

"By the way… Oriol. I'm getting closer to clearing the game?" Netto asked with eagerness.

"Based on my calculations… Maybe we'll take another seven days."

"By the way… Was it me or did Legato look tired?" Saito brought up.

"Yeah… He had to help our spy in the Net Police escape after Dark Miyabi set a trap up by sabotaging the micro robot and having it be checked, thus discovering who it was. But since our spy is a Navi to begin with, it could use its abilities to run off."

"I guess there's more to it." Netto looked interested.

"True, Netto – kun. Even though we sent Pharaoh Man there to stall Enzan, he blew him up and even Freeze Man joined the fray. They managed to escape thanks to a wipe-'em-all technique and by blowing up a machine which connected to here via a portal."

"A portal…? Hum… It's something akin to the gates which allow Navis to come in and out of "Dimensional Areas" from the Cyber World?"

"Yeah. It's more or less the same thing. We let out a hint to go inspect a facility we built in the Rocky Mountains. Raoul will be glad to show 'em 'round the area and prove his superb dancing skills."

"Really… Raoul and Enzan set up quite a silly show… But I'd never guessed we were as flashy as Dekao when it came to battling: Thunder Man could easily counter most of our techniques!" Saito laughed.

"That foreign accent didn't fit Enzan, either." Netto grinned.

"… Achoo!"

"Are you okay, Enzan – sama?"

Enzan was sitting on his limo's rear seats when he'd suddenly caught a cold: he took off a handkerchief and blew into it.

"Grftjx! Turn off the AC: I'm gonna get ill for real." Enzan grumbled.

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"… Achoo!"

"Oi! Raoul! Ya okay?"

Raoul had been walking down a street when he'd suddenly caught a cold: he took out a handkerchief and blew into it.

"Guess someone must be ill-mouthing me." He grumbled.

"… Okay! Installation: complete."

Shade finished installing the Style Change program and booted up Beta X's consciousness.

"Is it over?" He asked.

"It is. Installation: success."

"Hum… Yeah! I can pick Aqua, Fire, Wood, Elec and… Shadow?" Beta X muttered before wondering aloud.

"We came up with that 5th style: it's ideal for sneak missions." Mr. Shade admitted.

"Excellent."

"Plug Out!"

Shade retrieved Beta X and walked out of the room after locking it with a key and pocketing it on his pants' right pocket: he then walked over to Zarashe's room and knocked on it.

"Wait a moment!"

Zarashe opened the door and saluted.

"President Hades."

"Here you have, Zarashe – kun." Shade replied as he handed him the Link PET.

"What is my mission?" Zarashe asked.

"Take it easy: today you'll just be accommodating your belongings and settling here. We'll then have you undergo some training simulations before we issue you a mission." Shade told him.

"Roger."

Zarashe closed the door and sat on a chair next to the window.

"Yo! Beta! How do you feel like?"

"Fantastic, Zarashe – kun. I'm burning for a mission." Beta X grinned and looked eager.

"Heh. I'll become stronger than I was!"

"Wanna start setting up the laptop with your files?" Beta X suggested next.

"Sure! Plug In! Beta X, Transmission!"

Beta X appeared on the laptop's screen and began to boot up several applications and files after Zarashe had connected the Link PET with a physical cable.

"Here I come, you simulations!"

Zarashe kept on unpacking stuff and setting up as he whistled _Let It Be_ aloud.

"Huff, huff… They're intense! But I like this sense of thrill! Thrill and thrill and thrill!" Beta X laughed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Thrill of thrilling thrills."

_Heh, heh, heh. I'll defeat that Internet motto one day! Oh yeah!_

20:45 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff."

"Tired, sir?"

"Yeah. And no wonder."

"Maybe you need some rest, sir?"

"I do."

Enzan got into his apartment and dropped atop the bed, exhausted, while Blues formed his hologram.

"Should I contact Detective Hunter, sir?"

"Do that."

"ENZA~N! NO RUNNING AWAY FROM THE THOUSAND EYES' ESPER MASTER OOYAMA DEKAO~!"

"Dekao… I'm tired. Discuss that with Dr. Wily. Ask why he gave Miyabi a "Synchro Chip" and not you."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Something called "Duo's Crest", my young runt…" Wily chuckled in the background.

"No that Crest-something thing again! Why didn't that Duo jerk whoever it was give me one to protect my Meiru – chan?"

"Because you're lame." Madoi simply replied.

"NO WAY~!" He began to cry.

"Niichan! Act like a man! Chu!"

"YIKES!"

"Chisao is annoyed! Chu! That niichan acts like a silly guy! Chu!"

"Oh man. Now Chisao is smarter than me? The world's cruel!"

_Like you can do anything to change it, Dekao! Leave us in peace and go weep in a corner… I gotta catch those guys! _


	9. Chapter 9: Canada Trap

**Chapter 9: Canada Trap**

09:09 AM (British Columbia Time), Monday July the 12th…

"… Over here…"

A Net Police chopper was flying over a segment of the Rocky Mountains and heading for a building set on one valley.

"See!"

This building was a steel-built red-colored cylindrical tower about twenty meters tall: the tower had no distinct traits except for a set of two lock gates built on the ceiling of it and looked about ten meters wide: it had a large stone archway built at ground level which was two meters tall.

"Hum."

Several "Dimensional Converters" sprouted from its body at different heights, thus covering it in a "Dimensional Area" and allowing it to be sealed of visitors from the outside.

"We're currently ten kilometers NNE of Tumbler Bridge, British Columbia, Canada. This tower was firstly detected five days ago. It hasn't moved at all ever since then." Hunter reported.

The occupants of the chopper were Dark Miyabi, Enzan, Princess Pride, Airstar, Tesla and Dingo.

"Che! There they go again: laughing at my face!" Tesla grumbled.

"Cool it down, Tesla…" Airstar rolled his eyes.

"… So similar…" Enzan muttered.

"Similar?" Pride asked.

"I don't see what's "similar"…" Dingo shrugged.

"… Twilight Tower." Dark Miyabi announced.

"Yeah. The tower which encompassed the whole of Earth within a "Dimensional Area" over one year ago… This tower looks similar, too."

"How should we go like?" Dark Miyabi asked.

"Let's make two teams: A Team and B Team. A Team: Miyabi, Dingo and me. B Team: Charlie, Princess Pride, Tesla. A Team will come in from the rear while B Team shall come in from the front."Enzan suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement and stood up as the chopper stopped in mid-flight atop the "Dimensional Area": they all jumped towards its dome.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Six persons exclaimed.

Thanks to their free fall speed, the "Cross Fusion" members were able to enter the "Dimensional Area" bubble.

"Intrusion: success!"

B Team landed on the rear of the tower: they found two emergency exit gates build there.

"Hum."

A Team landed in front of the archway: it had no doors and was unlit.

"Mission: Infiltration. Status: Start." "CF" Blues announced.

"Contact each other if you make an important discovery or every five minutes." "CF" Miyabi added.

"Roger."

B Team kicked the doors open and found a tall shaft which had a square prism shape about eight meters tall: they could see an opening in the wall in front of them at that same height.

"Jet Vernier!"

"Area Steal!"

"CF" Blues used his jets while the other two warped into the opening: they nodded to each other and entered a room shaped like the lower half of a sphere: a connecting corridor was set in the middle of the opposite wall.

"Careful now."

The only other noticeable thing was a tall hologram of Legato set in a victorious pose.

"Che." Blues grumbled.

"Idiot." Enzan grumbled.

"Show-off, huh?" "CF" Miyabi sounded unimpressed.

"Punk." "CF" Dingo added.

"This is A Team! We found a hologram of Legato and it'd seem we're in the room in front of you guys!" "CF" Airstar reported.

"Let's check the corridor!" "CF" Dingo exclaimed.

He ran forward and into the corridor: two heavy steel shutters fell down with a loud SLAM sound in both entrances, thus trapping "CF" Dingo inside of its space.

"A trap, then." "CF" Miyabi muttered.

"Yup! This is our climax!" A familiar voice announced.

"Time for you people to sink into the Universe's "Dark"…" Another voice announced.

Video Man suddenly materialized in front of them while Cosmo Man came out of a rift in the air.

"Video Man!" "CF" Blues exclaimed.

"That guy…! Cosmo Man! He was one of Umbra's lackeys!" "CF" Miyabi exclaimed.

"… This is A Team! We're being attacked by two guys named Gate Man and Flame Man!" "CF" Airstar reported.

"Former "Zoanoroids", too… Golden Star seems able to rebuild any type of Net Navi!" "CF" Blues grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…" A familiar voice echoed over the radio channel.

"Damn! The punk has cornered me!" "CF" Dingo cursed over the radio.

"Gate Cannon! Zoan Gate Man beats them all!"

"Zoan" Gate Man was a "Zoanaroid" about a meter and sixty tall or maybe closer to a seventy.

His head had a mask covering the face colored in an orange-like color and his eyes' irises were but two red dots over a yellow "eye".

A reddish piece of armor protected the forehead while a thin brown armor layer shaped like an ascending arrow surrounded the front edge of his head armor which was rather thick because it integrated golden "hair" which reached past the chest.

His yellow spheroid shoulders had an orange dome covering the upper half, a metallic ring attached to them, and his arms sprouted from there: they were covered in sturdy brown metallic armor over bright brown "skin" and his hands' "skin" was exposed: they were black in color.

His chest armor was brown too and he had a metallic octahedron set there with a thin vertical stripe running across its height and splitting in two, creating two "gates" which could be opened to draw a teal brown cannon with three blue dots on each side of it and a triangle-shaped muzzle.

His lower body and legs' coloring was of a brighter brown with two dull brown stripes running down from below the chest and across their legs before the boots began.

These boots had a main dull metallic brown color and only protected until the ankle: a thin black cylinder supported them, sprouting from the plain yellow "feet": the boots' end had a small square slot which allowed one to see those "feet" and the front included partial armor to allow them to attack with the front of the feet: the soils were brown in color.

"Chaos Flame! Zoan Flame Man burns them all!"

"Zoan" Flame Man, on the other hand, had an irregular spheroid-shaped body encompassed by a reddish fireball: four legs formed from it to support him: his face had two simple red eyes on it along with a mouth: his emblem was set on the front and depicted a yellow-colored flame.

The legs were thin and had four brownish rings on the front ones: they ended in orange feet-like extensions with an upper brownish edge: the inwards sides of the feet-like extensions had a cut off segment thus making it be slightly shorter in height: the rear legs had three rings and ended in a brown rectangle with a metal piece facing northwards.

His mere appearance radiated an aura of heat and he also summoned golden flames which fell down from the sky.

"Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Mag Missile!"

While A Team was quarrelling with the former "Zoanoroids", B Team was busy trying to face the "Darkloids".

"Cosmo Gate!"

Cosmo Man opened his gate and began to shoot meteors at his adversaries.

"Wind Cutter!"

Video Man formed his tape roll and shot it forward while skidding across the ground.

"Sonic Boom!"

"Evil Source!"

"… Tomahawk Swing!"

"Heh."

"CF" Dingo was trying to face against Legato inside of the narrow and sealed corridor, but Legato had no trouble dodging his attacks without even bothering to counter-attack.

"Dingo! Cool down and think!" Tomahawk Man scolded.

"What I'm supposed to, huh?" "CF" Dingo grumbled.

"Stop his movements." Tomahawk Man suggested.

"… Oh! I see!"

"Whatever you think of is futile!" Legato announced.

"I wonder about that! Battle Chip, White Web!"

"What!"

"CF" Dingo shot the White Web at Legato and it deployed into a spider's web, immobilizing him.

"Gotcha! Where are Netto and Rock Man?" "CF" Dingo demanded.

"Alive." Legato simply replied.

"That's something!" "CF" Dingo shot back.

"Area Steal!"

"What!"

Legato warped and appeared behind "CF" Dingo.

"Say good night. Dark Neo Variable!"

He drew a Neo Variable sword and shot out a black Sonic Boom which then transformed into a black tornado with red energy swirling around its body, lifting "CF" Dingo up and cutting up the cybernetic layer of flesh, revealing his human flesh beneath it.

"Gra~h!" He roared.

"Dingo!" Tomahawk Man gasped.

"Heh. You thought that we'd waste our time with those Shadow Copies? We sent over Magnet Man last Sunday, Roll was yesterday, and Needle Man showed up today… We've got another three ready to roll up anytime now." Legato grinned.

"And you guys are planning on including me, maybe?" A familiar voice rang out behind Legato.

"Huh? Who…?" He wondered.

He turned around and gasped: Forte was standing there, and, although his lower face was hidden by the cloak, his earlier question had had a sarcastic ring to it.

"Forte! You lowlife!" He cursed.

"Oh. So you remember how I refused your "offer"…" Forte sounded slightly amused.

"Grah! We thought you liked to take care of stuff in Japan!" Legato cursed.

"Hmpf! Freeze Man is competent enough. Air Burst!" Forte announced an attack.

Forte extended his right arm and shot out several yellow-colored energy spheres at Legato, pushing him back: Forte then jumped into the air and tackled "CF" Dingo out of the black spiraling tornado, which vanished.

"Are you okay? Dingo? Tomahawk Man?" He asked.

"Grah… I get the lesson! I'm too hot-headed!" Dingo cursed.

"And don't count on that tomahawk to show you the road again."

"Guess you're okay. Well… You. We have a score to settle." Forte muttered before turning around and challenging Legato.

"… Legato." A distorted voice called out.

"Vice President _Noir_!" He gasped.

"That's your master? Then I've got a question for him. What happened to Netto and Rock Man?" Forte questioned.

"… Need Not To Know." The voice replied.

"_Clichéd_. What are you, a CIA defector?" Forte taunted.

"Wrong."

"Ops. My bad. Then you're an old fat and lazy bureaucrat." Forte taunted again.

"Old, fat, lazy…! I'm not even thirteen years… Ah!" The guy began to exclaim before realizing he'd stepped into Forte's trap.

"You're twelve, then. And you must've had some connection to Twilight."

"Ask Kami – sama!" The voice shot back.

"I don't have his cell phone number." Forte replied.

"I dunno where you got that sarcasm, but it's the same you used back when the "Past Tunnel"… Grah!" The voice began to grumble before gasping again.

"Vice President _Noir_! What should I do?" Legato asked.

"…"Past Tunnel"… I was there only once: when I defeated the extraterrestrial Net Navi: Slur. And you know I was there." Forte sounded like he was trying to narrow down the pool of suspects.

"Grftjx! Twilight told me about your behavior 'cause I wasn't around to see it! Legato! Code 222!" The voice replied before issuing Legato with an order.

"Code 222? Roger! You guys! Code 222!" Legato called out.

"What… I was about to roast up the woman!" Flame Man grumbled.

"Shut up. Obey and live." Gate Man snapped.

"_Video Man: I'll be back_!" Video Man announced.

"Heh, heh, heh… Welcome to your cemetery." Cosmo Man added.

"… Che! Enzan! I'll settle the score with you next time!" Legato announced.

"What! Running away?" Forte questioned.

"Come! Pawns!" Legato commanded.

Some Navis holding Elec Swords materialized in the corridor: there were about eight of them.

"Die." Legato announced with a sinister smile.

He dematerialized and there were similar sounds outside of the corridor along with the frizzling of the Elec Swords.

"Code 222. Code 222. Code 222." An automated voice announced over some speakers.

"What the hell is "Code 222"?" "CF" Dingo wondered.

"We can find that out later. We've gotta beat these guys. Make use of your Elemental advantage." Forte replied.

"Che! Okay! Tomahawk Rolling!"

"CF" Dingo curled into a fiery sphere and hit the four enemies in front of him, deleting them on impact: he continued and hit the steel shutter, making a noticeable dent on it and bending the metal outwards.

"… Hell's Buster!"

Forte bombarded the enemy Navis with his Hell's Buster fire and managed to delete them.

"Darkness Overload!"

He shot a purple blast of energy at the shutter in front of him, tearing a hole into it.

"Kingdom Crusher!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Shadow Clone!"

There were sounds of Navis being deleted while Forte spotted a hidden override switch: he engaged it to open up the shutters and the two teams met up.

"Forte! Thanks for the helping hand." "CF" Blues thanked.

"What… I was tired of sitting there and not doing anything!"

"Enzan – kun! An object is coming out of the tower's topmost hatch: a hydroplane!" Hunter reported.

"But unless they shut off the "Dimensional Area", they won't be able to escape…" "CF" Blues muttered.

"They've predicted that: the "Converters" are slowly turning off! The "Dimensional Area" won't stay up for much longer!" Hunter warned.

"Damn. Let's hurry to the topmost floor and exit into the roof: we can be picked up there!" "CF" Blues commanded.

"Over here!"

Forte signaled a segment of the steel wall different from the others: he took it out to reveal a hidden shaft climbing elsewhere.

"Good!"

The seven of them climbed it up and ended up in a wide room on the tower's topmost floor: a platform had been lifted and had come outside of the tower through the opening in the ceiling: they could spot a vertical metallic ladder leading upwards.

"Hurry it up!" "CF" Blues rallied.

They jumped into the roof just in time to see the last of the "Converters" shutting down and the hydroplane mounted in a rail catapult device like those on aircraft carries: Legato was the one piloting.

"The others must be inside of its Cyber World." Airstar guessed.

The catapult engaged thus propelling the plane forward across the rails which extended over the right side of the tower: it flew off while the Net Police chopper quickly landed on the platform.

"10 seconds to Code 222 activation." The speakers announced.

"… Damn! A self-destruct device again!" Enzan cursed.

"Quick! Climb in!" Forte rallied.

"You're using a "Copy Roid"?" Miyabi asked.

"Yeah! I had Bubble Man lend me one of an intact cache he discovered: he still thinks I'm an ally of the "Darkloids"." Forte summarized as they climbed into the chopper.

The chopper took off and flew towards the same direction as the hydroplane: the radar indicated its position.

"… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Code 222: Activate."

The tower began to blow up starting at the base and then spreading across the floors until a geyser of fire came out through the roof opening followed by debris.

"Shit. They're serious." Airstar hissed.

"I should've thought of that!" Tesla muttered.

"It'd ruined your business."

"Wha~t?" Tesla yelled.

"How far are we from them, Detective Hunter?" Enzan asked.

"300 meters. But that hydroplane can't fly any faster by now. We still have a 10 kilometer per hour range." Hunter replied.

"They can't run this time." Forte announced.

Legato was sitting on the pilot's seat and checking the radar: he could spot the Net Police chopper trailing him.

"Hmpf. Diehard "Net Saviors"." Cosmo Man muttered.

"Let's incinerate 'em!" Flame Man roared.

"Shut up." Gate Man snapped.

"I'd rather strangle them." Video Man sounded amused.

"That won't do. Besides… We've got a secret trick." Legato replied before putting up a smug smile.

"Okay! Loading: complete! Activate!" Kuroshiro announced over Legato's radio.

Some light formed out of nowhere and a deep purple-colored swirling vortex began to open: it looked about a hundred meters wide and fifty tall.

"Success!"

"Heh. Have at you, Enzan!" Legato grinned.

The hydroplane entered the vortex and it suddenly began to diminish in size before it closed down with a purple flash.

"W-what was that?"

"W-whoa!"

Everyone aboard the Net Police helicopter had seen what had happened and were awed by it.

"… They've vanished from the radar!" Hunter gasped.

"… I can't see them even by using IR!" Forte added.

"It looked like some kind of space-time gate, didn't it? I saw one on a series named _Star Gate_…" Airstar ventured.

"Hah! All the manly pilot does is see sci-fi series?" Tesla teased.

"Oi, oi… Quit it."

"Heh!" She grinned.

"Man."

"… Golden Star… Their technology is brutally advanced!" Enzan exclaimed with obvious surprise.

"Damn. Even if we chased them, they had this trick at hand… But at least I got some hints regarding that _Noir_ jerk." Forte muttered.

_Just who is leading this criminal organization? Did Twilight come up with that technology, too? Netto, Saito… What's happening to you two? It's been 10 days already and we know nothing… I know you two are alive, but… Something makes me feel afraid…!_

16:50 PM (Germany Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The purple swirling vortex formed over a small abandoned-looking airfield and the hydroplane came out: it used the wheels set on the underside of its skies to touch down and slowly pull over to a stop: Legato then moved it inside of a hanger and shut it down.

"Okay. You guys. Let's go back to the base's Cyber World." He commanded to them.

They merely exited the plane's Cyber World while Legato rummaged inside of a large duffel bag in the rear area of the cockpit.

"Hum, hum… Drum, drum…"

There were some electronic beeps before a sequence of interlinked beeps began to sound.

"Heh." Legato grinned.

He dematerialized, entered the computer, and then flew across a VPN tunnel towards another Cyber World: the tunnel closed behind him and was deleted.

"Back home. Let's go report to Vice President _Noir_." He muttered aloud.

"… Nobody move! _Polizei_!"

Some policemen entered the hanger: they spotted the hydroplane and drew their service guns.

"Disembark!" They commanded.

Nothing happened: they started to hear the beeping sounds.

"I've heard that somewhere before." One muttered.

"… _Gott_! A bomb…! Run!" Another exclaimed.

They quickly climbed into the patrols cars which sped away just in time: a brutal explosion swept the whole of the hanger building and set it on fire.

17:01 PM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Che! Forte tricked me."

"I shall not present…!"

"No need for that!"

Legato had come to report to Kuroshiro, who was pacing inside of the adjacent room Legato usually used: he'd been about to say something when Kuroshiro cut him off.

"Anyway! The German police of Berlin won't be able to recover anything at all from the plane. But once the news hit the headlines, the Net Police will go over there. They'll fall into the trap."

"Eh… Excuse me." Legato called out.

"What's up?" Kuroshiro asked.

"… It's about Flame Man… He looks hard to control. Maybe we should rewrite his personality before he sets fire to something?" Legato suggested.

"Set fire to… Wait." Kuroshiro muttered before ordering.

Legato merely stood still while Kuroshiro brought a hand to his chin.

"… No. We won't do anything. Just warn him that he'll be deleted if he tries anything at all."

"Roger."

Legato stepped out of the room while Kuroshiro formed a smug smile on his face.

"Heh. I have a plan." He muttered.

He stepped out of the room and entered the room with the Navi diagnostics/repair machine and the mysterious cylinder.

"… Indeed. A strategy to inflict mistrust into the "Net Saviors"...!"

_Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh!_


	10. Chapter 10: Game Clear

**Chapter 10: Game Clear**

11:11 AM (Moscow Time), Thursday July the 15th…

"… Damn."

"Shit."

"CF" Laika was shooting against an opponent while outside of the Sharo Net Police Control Center.

"… We had Meddy on Tuesday and Colonel, which fought Enzan, on Wednesday… We knew this one would be coming up last, but to think they sent it to battle me…!" "CF" Laika cursed.

"They sure are rubbish." Search Man cursed.

"CF" Laika's opponent turned out to be Copy "CF" Netto, including white and black expressionless eyes: "CF" Laika had a grimace on his face and didn't seem capable of fighting him.

"I know it's a copy! And I did defeat Phantom Rock Man! But this is different…! He looks too… real!" He argued aloud with obvious hysteria on his voice.

"Laika – sama…" Search Man sounded concerned.

"I know! I've gotta focus if I want to keep the "Cross Fusion" intact!" "CF" Laika replied.

The opponent drew a Neo Variable Sword and a Vulcan Battle Chips: he shot the Vulcan rounds at "CF" Laika, who couldn't dodge in time, and got hit.

"Ugh!"

They pushed him back and he was then sent flying by the hit the Neo Variable Sword delivered.

"Laika! Snap out of it!" Commissioner Malenkov commanded over his radio.

"Y-yes, sir! R-roger!" He replied.

He managed to stand up just in time to see the opponent dashing towards him while having the Samurai Sword drawn.: "CF" Laika drew one, too, and began to spar with him.

"When it comes to fencing, there are few who can beat me…" He muttered aloud.

His opponent seemingly got tired of that, so it drew the Tank Cannon Battle Chip.

"Scope Gun!"

The shot went inside of the Tank Cannon and the resulting explosion took out the opponent's right arm: some exposed circuitry could be seen frizzling and sparkling.

"… This is better. I can focus now that I can clearly see it's just a machine."

The opponent swung the Samurai Sword with his left arm at "CF" Laika's neck: he blocked it with the Scope Gun: "CF" Laika then kicked the chest emblem of the opponent and grabbed it with his left hand to tear it out, revealing the "Copy Roid" core.

"Laika – sama. I predict it is going to self-destruct." Search Man warned with obvious concern.

"Che. Golden Star! I'll defeat you people!" "CF" Laika cursed.

He jumped away just as the "Copy Roid" blew up and Laika made a grimace as he landed on the ground.

"Cool it down, Laika."

"Roger, sir…"

"Hey! Laika! Hammer a hammering hammer!"

"Sorensof. Did I give you permission to use this frequency?" Malenkov questioned.

"Huh! Sir! Eh, hum… I just trying to cool him off, sir…"

_Netto, Saito…! It's been TWO WEEKS! Where are you?_

"Laika – sama. Someone from Japan is contacting you, sir."

"Enzan?"

"Unknown number, sir."

"Try it out: maybe it's those jerks."

"Roger, sir!"

"LAIKA~!"

"Ooyama?"

"HAND OVER THE "SYNCHRO CHIP" NOW!"

"Why should I?" Laika was far from impressed.

"'CAUSE I GOTTA PROTECT _MY _MEIRU – CHAN!"

"I doubht it. Sakurai defeated "Asteroid" Desert Man on her own to begin with." Laika shrugged.

"That's moot!"

"No, YOU are the one who's moot."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Dr. Wily chuckled.

"Dr. Wily! Stop laughing at me, gramps!"

"DE – KA – O! That's not how you talk to Wily – sama!"

"This _boy_…! _You_! _Nice_! _Or else_!" Count Elec's accent came up too.

"Wha~h! Meiru - cha~n! Why can't I protect you~?"

"You're not proving it. Else why would you have bothered to stay in Jawaii after the Dream Virus incident and force us to train you? Didn't you say you wanted that to defeat Hikari Netto?" Maha reminded him.

"Cut the call, Search Man."

"Roger, Laika – sama."

_That curry shop is the craziest in the whole world, I guess!_

8:33 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… I've got excellent news."

"Tell us!"

Kuroshiro had come into Netto and Saito's room after Netto had finished his breakfast and dressed up.

"You two have cleared the game." He announced.

"Whoa!"

"So… I'm gonna reward you two."

"What's the reward?" Netto asked.

"You two will… become members of "Golden Star"." He announced.

"Hey! That sounds cool, Netto – kun!" Saito told him.

"Yeah! We'd be like… 007!" Netto grinned.

"However… So as to make sure they don't find out… Netto – kun. You'll need to undergo a slight change."

"Changing my hair color or something like that, you mean?"

"… True. And, Saito… Legato has a program for you which will alter your Navi body. But it's reversible, obviously enough."

"Okay. Then I'm gonna go see Legato. See you later, otouto." Saito sounded eager as he stood up.

"Then, Oriol… Let's work." Netto told him as he walked over to him and placed his right hand on top of his left shoulder.

"Huh? Eh… Yeah. Wait a min… I'll go fetch the stuff."

He stepped out of the room and walked down the corridor: he spotted the "spy" leaning against a wall: she was wearing jeans, a sleeveless green jumper and a navy blue cap which hide her gaze: he ignored her.

_Hmpf… Heh, heh, heh… Amusing, is it not?_

10:49 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Well… What do you think?"

"Lemme see… Whoa! I wouldn't recognize myself!"

Netto stood up from the chair after Kuroshiro had been working on his new hairstyle: he'd had to bring a hairdresser's thick hairbrush to comb it and some fastener to keep it still.

"Wow."

Kuroshiro then applied at a blond cream to it and it was beginning to take effect.

"Heh. We could pass as brothers, even." Netto commented with a grin.

"Really…?"

"It's a joke! Man! You seem to take everything as a literal." Netto grinned at him.

"Guess so…"

"So? Is there anything else?" Netto asked.

"Ah… Yeah! There's another thing."

He rummaged into a small bag and took out a contact lenses case.

"Please stay still." He requested.

He took out two contact lenses and carefully placed them on Netto's eyes, who closed his eyes and blinked to adjust to them.

"Huh…"

He then looked at the mirror and was surprised: they were blue eye color lenses.

"Heh. Nobody would recognize me by now." Netto grinned and looked smug, even.

"True. I even prepared something you'll like."

He searched the bag and took out a black wool bandana with the "Golden Star" symbol set on it: Netto picked it and adjusted it.

"Cool. And who's gonna question it, anyway? Bandanas are always popular everywhere. Guess I'll have to try a different tune of voice as well…" Netto commented before seemingly thinking aloud.

"Yup. You'll need to, but there'll be ample time for that."

Netto glanced around and spotted a syringe sans its needle which contained something.

"What's that? A vaccine…?" Netto asked.

"Ah! That… I'd almost forgotten. They're intravenous nanomachines: a colony of them."

"Cool! And you're gonna put them on my bloodstream?" Netto sounded awed.

"They include a GPS tracer just in case. And the good part of them is that you can't get ill as long as you have them: any foreign virus, parasite or chemical which enters your body is immediately broken down into harmless chemical components or nullified. Of course! Water and food normally don't enter that category. However, some medicines will need beforehand acknowledgment and permission."

He picked a sealed package and took out a needle which he attached it to the syringe as Netto calmly folded back his right arm's sleeve.

"Good. Please stay still."

Kuroshiro tied a rubber band to make the veins pop out: he carefully aimed for one and slowly injected it: once he'd finished he took it out and put a band-aid on the spot.

"Done."

He took out the needle and tossed it into the garbage bin and he then stored the empty syringe into the case.

"Heh. Now I feel cooler."

"Ah! True, true… We'll be changing you two to a new room. It'd seem the guys have finally given up on trying to contact you two, so there's no need to be in that unhealthy room anymore."

"Good enough. By the way… Will we still play the game?" Netto brought up.

"Whenever you want to just tell me, Netto – kun."

"Heh, heh! I'll become a champion at this rate." Netto grinned.

"Oh! True. How could I forget? Ironic, ain't it? My brain is electronic yet I can forget things." Kuroshir rolled his eyes and sounded sarcastic.

"My new name, you mean to say?" Netto guessed.

"Correct. _Kage Miquel_ - kun."

"Hey! It rhymes!" Netto exclaimed.

"I did that on purpose, truth to be told… And the surname… It's like an irony, no?" He admitted before asking for his opinion.

"Yeah. I'll be Kage Miquel. It sounds imposing."

"Yo~!" Someone called out.

A Net Navi suddenly showed up on the threshold.

Andy's whole body with the exception of his forearms and boots was painted in a bright silver color: the forearms and boots, however, had been tinted in a slightly rusted bronze color and a bronze-colored thin vertical stripe ran across his body from the neck to the end of the crotch crossing over his silver-edged chest emblem.

His eyes' irises were a mix of blood red and golden and displayed amusement: some silver-colored hair could be seen emerging from beneath his helmet as well.

He could be one or two centimeters taller than Netto.

"Whoa! Saito – niisan! What a revamping!" Netto whistled in surprise and shook his right hand.

"Netto – kun! You've also gotten quite the revamping, too!" Saito smiled at him.

"So? What's your new name, niisan?" Netto asked.

"Andy." He announced.

"Andy? It sounds cool." Netto commented.

"Legato has a knack for them. Right?" Saito commented as he looked over his right shoulder at Legato.

"I do, Andy – kun." He replied with a smile.

"How about we move out to the new room?"

"Say… Are we gonna pose as newcomers?" Netto or, rather, Kage asked him.

"Yeah. It'll be good enough to convince Zarashe - kun."

"Perfect." Andy smiled.

They walked out and headed into a new room which seemed identical to Zrashe's own one: both Kage and Andy had to blink several times to get used to the sunlight after almost two weeks of not seeing it.

"Whoa… What nice scenery! It feels so natural and rural…!" Miquel exclaimed.

"True! That lake is huge! And there are a lot of mountains!" Andy commented.

"I'm glad you like it: Mr. Shade had a good hunch when he decided to build our HQ here… And, true… It looks like an ordinary house from the outside! The guys must be expecting a super advanced-tech-like place or something like that… There's no better camouflage!"

"By the way… Are you gonna do something cool? I mean… "Nebula" began with the attack on the Science Labs, and then the "Neo WWW" rescued Gauss and Magnet Man…" Kage brought up.

"We'll make those look pale in comparison. Come with me."

They followed him and Legato into a room which had several server machines and a computer to work with them.

"Whoa. It looks like the servers "Control X" used." Andy commented.

"Speaking of Control X… How were you able to pick up the "Nebula" manned satellite orbit? I destroyed them just as Enzan had narrowed it down." Legato seemed to frown under the shades.

"Anetta happened to have eidetic memory: she remembered the whole code string which identified the object, so she typed it and brought back up the results." Kage explained.

"O~h… Interesting." Legato grinned.

"She did get to be helpful. And I guess she's still quarrelling with Ayanokouji – sama regarding Enzan." Kuroshiro sounded amused.

"Obviously." Kage grinned.

Kuroshir typed some commands into the PC and a large LCD screen built over the servers engaged: it displayed aligned rows of Navis.

"Wow."

These Navis all had a common design: their bodies' main color was purple and they had a buster-like weapon on their right forearms: each one had a jet pack built on their back too.

They also had white armor on the legs and a faceless spheroid with a small rectangular slit for head.

"We call them Galleons. They're gonna be our cheap, easy to deploy and expendable automated Navi army."

"Wow. It reminds me of the "Zoanoroid" armies." Andy commented with a smile.

"We got inspired by those and those huge amounts of "Asteroids" which Twilight brought over to keep you guys busy as he headed into Duo's Comet… He picked them from Salt Lake City just as Detective Hunter was about to deal with them."

"Then Slur wasn't the one who brought them! She was merely standing in the "Past Tunnel" to make sure no-one tried to travel there… But since Forte came to have payback, that jerk was able to slip by unnoticed…!"

"But that's enough of the past… How about we focus on the present?"

"Operation: Invasion is ready to start."

"Invasion…? What are you gonna invade?" Kage asked.

"Densan City."

"Whoa!"

"Thanks for the compliments."

Shade and the "spy" woman walked in.

"Oh. President Hades." Both greeted.

"I've finished the programming of the VPN hub hijacking. We'll be able to deploy all of them and be untraceable." Shade announced.

"So… You're gonna materialize them?" Miquel guessed.

"We added some vehicles like planes and tanks, too. It's about time we made those guys sweat." Legato added.

"Yo! You two must be the new guys."

"Welcome aboard."

Zrashe and Beta X stepped into the room as well: Beta X had removed his helmet, revealing green smooth hair.

"Ah. Yeah. You're that Zarashe guy we've been told 'bout." Kage guessed.

"You've gotta be Beta X. Nice to meet you." Andy greeted.

"Okay! Starting today… All of us Golden Star shall put up the ultimate show!" Kuroshiro exclaimed.

"Let us begin! Operation: Invasion. Status: Commencing!"

"HOORAY!"


	11. Chapter 11: Golden Star's Invasion

**Chapter 11: Golden Star's Invasion**

17:57 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 15th…

"… So?"

"Nothing, Commissioner. We're stuck."

A meeting was being conducted within the Net Police HQ: Commissioner Kifune, Superintendent Manabe, Detective Misaki, Enzan, Dark Miyabi, and Airstar were present: Laika was attending it via videoconference.

"… I am sorry to report that I'm stuck with the riddle. I can't find any mountain which can be called "laughing" in any European idiom. I found no "pillar" mountain, either… There are _tons_ of Great Lakes, but without more specifics… I know the place is a farm in a set of hills looking at the lake, but there are countless places with such a description…" Laika reported with obvious frustration.

"… Wait… Maybe the _original _name doesn't have any linking to it, but… Maybe if we looked at it with a foreigner's eyes, the names might sound like the verb "to laugh" or like "pillar"…" Enzan suddenly suggested.

"By the way… I got a report from the Berlin police: the only pieces they were able to find from the hydroplane were part of the tail and half of the right ski… 98% is gone forever: the explosion and ensuing fire consumed it all." Laika reported.

"Yet… Maybe it reinforces the conception that they're somewhere in Europe…" Enzan muttered.

"… Detective Misaki."

"What's up, Prism Man?"

Misaki was checking his Link PET: Prism Man was projecting himself and Misaki looked surprise.

"I have picked a surprisingly powerful EM wave signal which seems to be overriding all normal TV channels." He reported.

"… Weird." Misaki muttered.

"… Didn't Tesla do the same trick to announce the start of the "Neo WWW"?" Airstar recalled.

"True." Superintendent Manabe recalled.

"Blues! Try to pick up that signal with the TV app." Enzan commanded to him.

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

Enzan brought up the holographic screen: only static could be seen on it. It suddenly was replaced by the "Golden Star" logo.

"Ahem, ahem! _Ladies and gentlemen_! We are _Golden Star_! We are proud to announce that we can finally begin our activities. I do suppose our Excellent audience is somewhat confused by now. Worry not! All shall be clear in… Five minutes and forty-eight seconds. Where might that be at? Why. At Densan City. If the DNN values its reputation, it would do well to send a chopper over there as we speak to get ready to film the history which will make it to all global newspapers' headlines…" A distorted voice announced.

"… Blues? Can you track it?" Enzan questioned.

"No, Enzan – sama… This is going through several public signal broadcasters, Tokyo Tower included. It's riding on already existing TV signals thanks to its low power and ample bandwidth." Blues reported.

"… Four minutes and thirty four seconds remain by now. Net Police gentlemen! You are already aware of our existence. Regarding a certain two agents, there is nothing to fret as long as you don't try to inflict direct or indirect harm to the physical leaders…" The voice continued.

All of the presents gasped in surprise.

"… Two minutes fifty six seconds… So! Does anyone remember the accounts of the _Sengoku_ Period? War. War. War. Indeed. Hence why that period has been labeled like that. Well then… We shall not procure war, but we shall resurrect the old feeling of having a powerful national hi-class army… The JSDF, you say? Please…"

Everyone leant towards Enzan's PET screen to be able to hear it out.

"… That is nothing. Of course, we cannot be blamed! Such was the price we had to pay for WWII. No – one is innocent. We all have skeletons in our closet… Thus, where does "innocence" lie at? Wouldn't it be way easier to admit we all are guilty? One minute forty one seconds…"

"What silliness, really…" Blues grumbled.

"… Heh, heh, heh… Well… Whatever. Let society continue its endless trivial discussions… But once you set all of your preconceptions aside, you see the core of the matter: a well-oiled set of gears grinding with each other with Sharo precision… One minute six seconds…" The voice kept on saying after a chuckle.

"Very funny." Laika drily muttered while looking unimpressed.

"… Oh… The DNN chopper is already there! They're true to their word! We shall soon go off-air to allow them to broadcast… We apologize for robbing you of some of your ever-so-precious time, _ladies_ _and gentlemen_, but… He who warns a traitor is not… Or so a little green wrinkle-filled alien used to say back in 1983… Was it not? Thirty two seconds… Farewell!"

The logo vanished and it was replaced by live DNN footage of Densan City's main avenue: it was surprisingly empty, but since it was July, most people had gone out of the city to have some days off.

"… According to the time provided to us by the mysterious broadcast, only twenty seconds are left until something happens!" Midorikawa Kero was reporting.

"1983… Green alien… Master Yoda, he meant to say?" Superintendent Manabe wondered.

"True. He had that curious speaking habit." Commissioner Kifune recalled as well.

"… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Time!" Kero announced after counting down.

"Now!" Enzan muttered.

It happened: countless pieces of data began to form in the middle of the avenue and gave way to the Galleon robots, accompanied by silver-colored Abrahams M2 Tanks and bronze-colored Harrier 2 Fighter Planes: there were rows and rows of them and more formed at every second, thus filling the whole width and length of the avenue.

"W-whoa! A robot army…! A robot army!" Kero exclaimed.

"No way!" Misaki gasped.

"Where did all of those come out from?" Dark Miyabi uttered.

"From the _Naraku_?" Shadow Man suggested with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hah, hah, hah…" Miyabi looked skeptical.

"In any case… We must go there and defeat them!" Enzan rallied as he stood up.

"True! They looked like Navis, given the way they showed up." Misaki agreed on it.

"Anyway! We won't let anyone _invade_ Japan right in front of our noses! Go!"

Enzan, Airstar and Miyabi ran out of the room and headed towards the roof: Enzan's PET beeped, so he replied to it: Meijin was onscreen.

"Enzan – kun! I see what's going on. Call me once you need the "Dimensional Area"!" Meijin told him.

"Roger!"

"Charlie! What's that stuff in Densan City? Your _otaku_ friends are staging a party? Ho, ho, ho, ho!" Tesla questioned Airstar before laughing at her own joke.

"No! "Golden Star" is making the "Neo WWW" opening act be child's game in comparison!" He replied with a grin.

"WHA~T? Damn them!" She exclaimed.

BANG!

"Tesla! Don't bang the tables!" Gauss called out off-screen.

"I am going, Father!" She told him.

"Uh… Take care!" Gauss improvised.

"Charlie! I'll pick your chopper." She announced.

"E~H? Huh…! Oi! Gyro Man! Go take care of the chopper!" Airstar told him.

"Oh boy…" Gyro Man shrugged.

"Climb in!" Dark Miyabi rallied.

"We're going to meet Demon King – sama's pawns." Shadow Man announced with obvious sarcasm.

"Demon King – sama is already gone from this world." Miyabi reminded him.

"I mean the _new_ Demon King – sama." Shadow Man calmly replied with a shrug.

"Ah. That makes sense." Miyabi sarcastically replied.

They climbed into the chopper and it took off towards Densan City: everyone looked at the footage to see the robots beginning to spread across the streets in groups of eight along with the M1 Tanks and the Harrier 2 Planes: Enzan's PET beeped and Gospel Shuryou appeared onscreen.

"… Gospel!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah. Don't worry. Freeze Man has gone on ahead." Forte told them in a hushed tone.

"Can you try tracking how they showed up?" Enzan asked.

"Yeah. I'll take care of that. Be careful!" Forte replied.

"I hope Tesla doesn't get my chopper shot down…"

"Who knows?" Shadow Man replied.

The chopper touched down close to the area after making sure it wasn't close to any group of Harrier 2 Planes.

"Meijin! Start the "Dimensional Area"! We'll try to take out as many as possible!" Enzan told him.

"We've requested for reinforcements to head over there. Don't lower your guards!" Meijin announced before warning.

"Roger!"

"Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin announced.

The "Dimensional Area" formed around a large patch of the district, but it was unable to contain all of the robots and vehicles.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"CF" Blues and "CF" Miyabi jumped into the fray.

"Blues Sword!"

"Shadow Blade!"

They easily destroyed some of the robots.

"Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile!"

Severla magnets bombarded another robot and blew it up as "CF" Tesla dropped into the area.

"Hah! No vermin laughs at my face! Mag Ball!" She exclaimed.

"Tornado Arm!"

"CF" Airstar attached an automated Harrier 2, but it maneuvered out of the way and shot some missiles at "CF" Airstar.

"Area Steal!"

He warped and appeared on top of the plane's fuselage next.

"Take this!"

He detached the rotor and used it to make a cut on the fuselage to reveal the engines.

"Battle Chip, Count Bomb!"

He placed the bomb and then flew off after reattaching the rotor to his back.

"_Bye!_"

The Count Bomb detonated, taking out the engine and making it fall on top of a soldier group, decimating them.

"Roll Arrow!"

"Napalm Bomb!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Needle Cannon!"

"CF" Meiru, "CF" Rokushadama, "CF" Dingo and "CF" Yuriko joined the fray to the relief of the first assault party.

"Hah! These baddies cannot beat me and Nenjiro's heat! Eat fireworks-maker passion!" "CF" Rokushadama laughed.

"They can beat your brains!" Napalm Man shot back.

"Wha~t?" "CF" Rokushadama cursed.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"These guys were the ones who caught Netto and Rock Man… I won't let them get away with it!" "CF" Meiru exclaimed.

"True!" Roll confirmed.

"And I'm not going to lose against the likes of the men's toilet!" She exclaimed as well.

"… Meiru – chan…! It ain't the men's toilet fault: it's these guys' fault! How many times do I need to tell you?" Roll sounded exasperated by now given her voice.

"A million times, I guess!" She replied.

"These guys had me sweat! Take this! Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Cool it off!" Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"Che! Eyesores." "CF" Yuriko grumbled.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Yuriko! Careful! There's a tank there!" Needle Man warned.

"CF" Yuriko barely dodged a blast from its main cannon and she then aimed her cannons at the gun's barrel.

"Needle Cannon!"

She shot some needles and one of them impacted the projectile loaded into its cannon's barrel, thus causing it to explode from the inside and be destroyed.

"Icicle Fall!"

Some icicles rained down and hit the soldiers on various parts of their bodies, distracting them.

"Ice Tower!"

Ice pillars rose from the ground and cleaved through the soldiers' bodies, thus destroying them.

"Ice Stage!"

A patch of the ground became frozen and the robots slipped on it as well as another M1 Tank.

"Mountain Spear!"

The spears broke the robots' visors and destroyed their brain circuitry, stopping them: another spear got inside of the M1's gun barrel and hit the loaded projectile, blowing it up from the inside.

"Heh, heh, heh… Winter Storm!"

A sudden blizzard froze and deleted several Viruses.

"Freeze Man's come."

His diamond became visible and it slowly lowered from high in the air until it was five centimeters over the ground: it suddenly expelled cold pressurized air as the upper half began to rotate anti-clockwise and lift up along four hydraulic pistons: condensed water vapor came out of the diamond next partly hiding Freeze Man's shape, who jumped off it and landed on the ground.

"Freeze Man! Excellent." "CF" Blues sounded relieved.

"Heh! Such rubbish is not a worthy adversary. Shuryou wants me to dispose of them and so I will do!"

The air was suddenly filled with a loud and almost ear-piercing whistle which echoed all around the district.

"What?"

All of the remaining soldiers, Tanks and Harrier 2 dematerialized and left the area empty of them except for some battle remains.

"H-huh?" "CF" Airstar wondered.

"Huh? Ah…?" "CF" Meiru wondered.

"They fled?" "CF" Tesla wondered.

"Weird." "CF" Dingo muttered.

"Yeah. Weird." "CF" Rokushadama muttered.

"They forgot their dose of LSD." Shadow Man announced.

"Be serious…" "CF" Miyabi rolled his eyes.

"… Combat data gathering…? Is that their goal…?" Freeze Man wondered aloud.

"Looks like it…" "CF" Blues guessed.

"Che. Eyesores." "CF" Yuriko grumbled.

"Is that so? Enzan."

They all gasped and spotted Legato standing in a rooftop and looking down on them (literally) with a smug smile.

"You lowlife!" Blues hissed.

"Heh. So it'd seem. Anyway… Remember! If you want your comrades to stay alive, don't even dream of trying to catch Vice President _Noir_ or President Hades." He announced.

"Rubbish." "CF" Yuriko told him.

"You can always ask for their forgiveness in front of their headstones." He icily warned.

He de-materialized and everyone sighed as they looked around the area: wind blew it through it and the DNN chopper could be seen hovering over them.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Atomize an atomizer!"

"That's Video Man!" "CF" Blues gasped.

"Struggle, struggle AND STRUGGLE~!"

"Video Man! You nitwit! Shaddup!" Legato snapped.

"Yikes! R-roger, sir."

"… And it'd seem today's events were but a demonstration of the power of this organization named "Golden Star" as a follow-up to those "copies" which have been reported over the past few days..." Midorikawa could be heard reporting.

"I wanna beat 'em! Come back, you!" "CF" Rokushadama growled.

"Come back and bring up a nightmare for this jerk: to memorize the whole TV spectrum's frequencies! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"WHA~T? NENJRO, YA!"

"I AIN'T "NENJIRO", YA!"

_Lovely. Extortion now. But I, Ijuuin Enzan, won't give up! Get ready!_


	12. Chapter 12: Beta X's Debut

**Chapter 12: Beta X's debut**

18:28 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 15th…

"…Hum…"

Blues was speeding across a Cyber World and seemingly looking for something: it was filled with multiple lanes and open or close tunnel connections.

"… How is it, Blues? Have you found out anything there?" Enzan questioned.

"Negative, Enzan – sama. Forte did tell us this VPN router was used in synch with all of the others to transfer the army, but all access logs seem to have been deleted from their NVRAM memories." Blues reported.

"Che. Anyway… Search Man is investigating the Vladivostok router which they used before entering the Japan Cyber World, so… Come back here."

"Not so fast! Kogarashi!"

Blues gasped and barely dodged the swirl of wind which hit the ground where he'd been standing at.

"Who the…?" He questioned.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… As expected… From the N1 Gran Prix's Champion: Blues!"

Beta X dropped into the area: his color palette had changed to green and white: he carried a fan-like device on his right forearm and a green shield with Golden Star's logo on it and had put his helmet on as well.

"The crest in the shield…! You! Are you a member of Golden Star?" Blues gasped before demanding.

"Yeah! I'm Beta X: Japanese Net Navi living overseas." He announced with a smile.

"Overseas…" He muttered.

"Crap!" Beta X suddenly hissed.

"Oh? Ah… If we track your Operator, he might end up leading us to Golden Star HQ?" Blues assumed with a smile.

"… Who cares! Eat this! Kogarashi!" He grumbled.

He shot the spiral of wind again but Blues dodged it.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade! Slot In!" Enzan announced.

Blues dashed towards Beta X, but he brought the shield up and blocked him off.

"So! Speak. What happened to Hikari Netto and Rock Man?" Blues demanded.

"Huh? Aren't those the N1 Grand Prix Sub-Champions?" Beta X sounded surprised.

"You didn't hear you own group's broadcasting?" Blues questioned.

"Of course I did! I was in the server room as they…! Crap!" Beta X grumbled before stopping himself.

"Oh… A server room, you say. That explains it all. You could use those to hijack already existing VPN connections' tunnels." Blues guessed.

"Anyway! I heard all of it, but I thought my _Danna_ meant policemen or someone like that!" Beta X replied.

"Yeah. And I dunno who they are or where they are. I don't need to know that to survive." A voice announced.

A communications window opened up and displayed Zarashe's face: he was half-hidden by the shade.

"Who are you?" Enzan questioned.

"Just call me Wan." He replied.

"Even sans a surname, I can find you up by looking up your Navi's register." Enzan announced with a smile.

"And what if it happened to be gone already?" He calmly replied.

"Damn." Enzan hissed.

"President Hades is always ten steps ahead."

"Yeah! And this is why! Style Change: Beta Fire!"

"What!"

Beta X was surrounded by a red sphere of energy and he replaced the earlier accessories for a large armored-like gauntlet on his right forearm and a small red circle on his left one.

"Hah! We've recreated Style Change!" Wan announced.

"Crap. I can't remember them good enough and I didn't bring any elemental Chips." Enzan grumbled.

"Fire Punch!"

Beta X hit the floor with it and provoked a ring of fire to surround both of them and leaving small room to maneuver.

"Che." Blues grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..." Beta X chuckled.

"So? What happened to that mighty swordsman of the N1 Gran Prix? Or was it a DNN show?" Zarashe taunted.

"Grah! I'm getting fed up with this…" Enzan grumbled.

"Pick up this guy's cinders once I'm done with. Magma Buster!" Beta X announced as he charged up and shot a powerful blast towards Blues.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal! Slot In!"

Blue dodged at the last second and warped next to Beta X. He hit his lower torso with the Long Blade and managed to leave a wound there.

"Ugh!"

"Damn." Wan cursed.

"Change of plans, then… Beta Elec!"

Beta X switched his body palette to yellow and gained new special forearms.

"I admit that this one seems a bit useless sans the Extension Chip. But we've revamped it."

"Yeah! Teravolt Electricity!" Beta X announced.

He drew two needle-like extensions which formed on his wrists and made them frizzled with electricity before he intercrossed them to form the "X" letter.

"If you thought the WWW's Elec Man was difficult to handle, then this'll be a million times harder to handle!" He announced with a cocky and smug grin.

He shot the powerful blast of electricity, but a cloud of smoke formed and a _Kawarimi_ appeared on Blues' place.

"What!"

The attacked turned the _Kawarimi_ into cinders, but he suddenly felt Blues behind him.

"Wide Blade!"

He slashed his back and then kicked him into the ground while standing there.

"Che. Then it was no joke."

"It wasn't." Enzan smugly replied.

"Grah! Beta Aqua!"

Beta X switched over to navy blue and gained a slightly different pattern on his forearms.

"Battle Chip, Vulcan! Slot In!"

"Heh! I can multiply it per three with this power, so it becomes three Vulcan Battle Chips!" Beta X announced.

"Go!"

"Mugen Vulcan!"

"CF" Blues merely dashed across the ground while skidding across it to dodge and delivered a kick to Beta X's lower torso, kicking him into the ground again.

"Damn. Maybe I picked the wrong guy to mess with." He grumbled.

"Che. So it'd seem." Wan cursed.

"Give it up." Blues told them.

"Not yet! We've still got one more Style Change… Beta Shadow!" Beta X announced as he stood up.

"Shadow?" Enzan wondered.

Beta X gained a reddish scarf which opened into two extensions. He also gained two _kunai_ on his hands: he looked reminiscent of a _ninja_, even, given his pose.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

He suddenly became invisible, but Blues didn't lose his cool.

"I know how to handle invisible opponents." He announced.

"What!"

He quickly jumped to the north-west and plunged his sword into something: that something turned out to be Beta X's right arm, thus disabling his invisible mode.

"Damn." He cursed.

"So?" Blues challenged.

"Che! Beta! Let's head back. We stalled long enough, anyway." Zarashe commanded.

"Stall…? Ah! Your buddies are deleting all remaining traces of the massive transfer, then!" Enzan grasped.

"If you noticed it by now, then you're slow to catch on, Ijuuin." Zarashe put up a smug smile.

"So?" Enzan shot back.

"Yeah. I'm Zarashe Wan. Remember it."

"By the way… A certain someone had a message for Forte: "The one to vanish is your person. Do not return twice. Go to the Reverse Cyber World"..." Beta X quoted with a smug smile.

"… That sounds familiar." Blues seemed to frown under the shades.

"_Too_ familiar, even." Enzan muttered in a grim tone of voice.

"Craving your own grave, huh? Interesting. Farewell!"

Beta X was logged out of the Cyber World and Wan's communication window shut down.

"Che. Come back, Blues. It's about time we headed off to sleep." Enzan commanded.

"… Roger, Enzan – sama."

"Guts, guts! Guts Man will beat that guy next and prove he can defend Roll – chan! Guts!" Guts Man suddenly dropped inside.

"No. You must defeat Shadow Man first." Blues challenged.

"Guts! Easy, guts!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah…"

Shadow Man suddenly formed his "Kage _Bunshin_" around Guts Man and he gasped: Blues shrugged and came out of the Cyber World while Guts Man looked around.

"Where am I?" Shadow Man challenged.

"Guts!"

"Too late! Evil Source! You lose, oh Gorilla God! Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

18:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… MIYABI~!"

"What."

"EXPLAIN THIS!"

"Explain what?"

"Shadow Man!"

"What about Shadow Man?"

"He used a trick on Guts Man!"

"I was testing you, Gorilla God."

"GORILLA GOD?"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Dekao ran out of the kitchen and suddenly leant on the table Miyabi was sitting in front of: Miyabi was totally unimpressed while Dekao tried to look scary: Wily began to chuckle.

"Shadow Man. That wasn't funny."

"You're skeptical, eh, Miyabi?"

"I am."

"Heh, heh. Maybe the culprit is close by." Wily rubbed his moustaches and formed a grin.

"Dr. Wily. Your antiques don't impress me in the least."

"Antiques?" Madoi wondered.

"Old-style jokes." He translated.

"Huh… Guess so."

"Count Elec!"

"_Y-y-y-yes_! _Dr. _Wily – sama!" He saluted.

"Show them Elec Man's might!" He commanded.

"_Oh yes_! _Hey_! _Kid_! _Showdown_!"

"Showdown? Roger, Master Count Elec!"

"Plug In! Elec Man, Transmission!"

"Plug in! Guts Man, Transmission!"

Both Navis came inside of the store's Cyber World and assumed face-off poses before a buzzer rang out.

"Guts, guts! Mega Guts…!"

"100, 000 Volts!"

"Guts?"

"No way!"

"Hrah!"

"GATTSU~!"

Elec Man formed a reddish sphere which frizzled with electricity: its power jumped into the transformers attached to the rear of his body and he then made them arch across the sky before they converged on Guts Man at the same time: Guts Man was electrocuted and ended up burnt to a crisp: he collapsed into the ground and got automatically retrieved while the buzzer rang out again.

"_Oh yes_! Dr. Wily – sama personally upgraded Elec Man! _Kid_! You'll have to improve _a lot_ if you want to _rival_ Elec Man!"

"Dr. Wily…!" Dekao grumbled.

"Dekao! The kitchen! Now!" Maha commanded.

"Yes, Master…! I'll remember this, gramps…!"

"THE KITCHEN! NOW!"

"YIKES!"

"Let me guess. Fire Man got "Great Symbol", Colored Man can use "Earth Throw" and Magic Man can use "Psycho kinesis" too?" Shadow Man guessed.

"Maybe you'd like to gain "Shadow Ball" too?"

"You heard that this year we're going to see the 4th Generation games, _Pearl_ and _Diamond_, scheduled to come out in late September?" Shadow Man asked next.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh. Correct. I got amused by them."

"Let's hope those guys don't rip them off and try to turn them into giant "Asteroids" next." Miyabi muttered.

"Maybe yes maybe not!" He grinned.

"Hmpf. The bill."

"Ou!"

Hinoken brought it to him and Miyabi paid before he stood up and glanced at Dr. Wily with a dull look: Wily's grin grew wider but Miyabi fumed.

"Farewell."

He came out of the shop and Wily chuckled.

"I still say it was unfair!"

"Invent the "PKMN Earthquake" Battle Chip, Ooyama Dekao…" Wily suggested in an amused tone of voice.

"I'll do that! And protect Meiru - chan with that!"

"Shut the trap up, Dekao, and cook!" Maha scolded.

"The world's cruel to me~!"

"Don't play victim. I got my family restaurant destroyed by you guys but I hold no grudge." Maha reminded him.

"Oh man."

11:58 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… So? How did it go like?"

"Well… We kind of underestimated the guy…"

"Pity."

"Yeah. You should've erased that smug smile of his."

Zrashe and Beta X were chatting with Kage and Andy.

"By the way, do I look cool enough?"

Kage was now sporting a black t-shirt, jeans and sunglasses along with white sneakers.

"Yeah. But they've learnt we're no joke." Zarashe grinned.

"Sure."

"Leave it to the VP to come out with something cool."

"Hmpf…"

"Yikes!"

The "spy" suddenly walked past them while forming a smug smile and was soon out of sight: the four of them gulped.

"I still dunno if that message for Forte was a literal or not, in the end."

"What message? Did she tell you to relay it to Blues?" Andy asked.

"… Well. Yeah… "The one to vanish is your person. Do not return twice. Go into the Reverse Cyber World." … That's it." Beta X quoted.

"Huh… Sounds like a threat alright if you ask me." Kage muttered.

_I've got the feeling I've heard that motto before._

_Now that you mention it… That person's voice sounded familiar too._

_Whatever… Let's go enjoy some thrill rides, niisan!_

_Yep, otouto! I want to have some thrill rides! __Heh, heh, heh, heh!_


	13. Chapter 13: Slur

**Chapter 13: Slur**

08:04 AM (Japan Time), Friday July the 16th…

"… Guts, guts! There's nothing here, de guts!"

"Be quiet, desu!"

"You're noisy, Guts Man!"

"Please…"

Guts Man, Ice Man, Roll and Glyde were investigating one VPN router's Cyber World.

"Dekao – kun! Couldn't you tell Guts Man to be quieter?" Meiru asked him with a hint of annoyance.

"Huh! Guts Man! Quiet, quiet!" He told him.

"Well… A gorilla always makes rude noises, after all." Yaito brought up with a hint of sarcasm.

"True." Hikawa agreed on it.

"Wha! Yaito – chan! Are you saying that Guts Man is a gorilla? Shadow Man told ya that joke of the Gorilla God?" Dekao questioned.

"He obviously did! And be glad I invited you three to my tree-house to run the search from here!" Yaito replied.

"And, since it has a VPN connection, we could enter this router easily enough." Glyde commented.

Roll suddenly spotted a yellow-colored stream of energy shooting deeper into the router.

"Huh? That's…? It's heading towards the NVRAM…" Roll muttered as she looked on.

"Maybe it's one of Golden Star trying to delete the access logs from it! Roll! Hurry over there!" Meiru rallied.

"O. K., Meiru – chan!"

"And I'm sure it's gotta be a mean man!" Meiru added.

"Not again…" Roll sounded exasperated.

The group reached a nexus of several ramps and VPN tunnel entrances: they ignored those and jumped over the rim, thus falling some meters, until they landed in a platform which had the words "LINE CONSOLE 0" printed in black over its surface.

"Well…"

They looked over the rim of this platform on ahead and spotted nothing out of the ordinary.

"What… They fled?" Roll muttered.

"Wrong." An echoing voice corrected.

They all gasped and looked "skywards": a Navi was floating there and looking towards them.

This Net Navi could easily be over a meter and eighty tall.

Its helmet design didn't look like a helmet to begin with: the forehead was covered by a diamond-shaped green-colored piece of armor from which two tall and white "antennae" emerged in a 45º inclination: something which looked like a mass of hair colored green formed behind the helmet and expanded downwards in a cone-like manner.

The face's skin was normal and the shape was rather feminine yet a bit androgynous at the same time.

Its upper body had a white cloth similar to a sweater with three parallel stripes set on its surface running down its length until it ended half-way across the torso.

The shoulders had greenish four-speared stars built into them and two large white sleeves which extended way past the total length of the arms extended from there: their arms looked thick and like they had some extra mass inside: they formed shapes reminiscent of the Alphabet "L" character.

The hands emerged from two oval-shaped cavities just where the sleeves formed a 45º turn to aim SW and SE: they were covered in white "gloves" or "skin" and were currently closed.

The rest of the body was colored green and looked like a one-piece suit extending until the middle half of the upper body: two greenish/yellowish stripes ran down the sides of the torso until the hips.

Two greenish/yellowish diamonds were drawn around the knees followed by oval-shaped patterns which ended in a triangle on the ankle: the Navi didn't have the typical boots and the legs ended like they were pants which were larger than usual.

Some light radiated from the Navi's silhouette and made them stand out while emitting a powerful sensation.

"So… The reinforcements have arrived?"

"Reinforcements…?" Roll wondered.

"Gattsu?" Guts Man wondered.

"Whoa!" Ice Man gasped.

"… I can feel a great power in that person…!" Glyde gasped.

"… Stay quiet." Roll told them.

"… Ah. Looking back at you four, I recognize you… That girl… Your Operator was granted "Duo's Crest". Is that not right?" The Navi addressed Roll.

"Uh… Yeah. That's true." Roll admitted.

"… The butler, the child and the uncivilized existence… It is amusing to see such a group of Navis banding together." She announced next with a hint of amusement.

"Guts? Un – what? De gutsu?" Guts Man wondered.

"Who are ya callin' "uncivilized"?" Dekao grumbled.

"Chut!" The other three scolded.

"… You four know about Forte?" She asked of them.

"Y-yeah! We know him." Roll admitted.

"Then, there is a message for him… "The envoy has resurrected. I shall be waiting."… Tell him this." The Navi announced.

"Eh… And what's your name?" Roll asked.

"… _Slur_." She announced.

"Slur?" They all wondered.

"Ah... You four did not have encounters with my "predecessor" in the past, it would seem. However… Once you tell the Net Police, they shall be filled with terror and fear. Learn this: the only one capable of challenging me is Forte." Slur announced.

"Eh… I guess we've gotta pull out." Meiru guessed.

"What? We're not gonna fight?" Dekao asked.

"_Baka_! You heard the lady: only Forte can stand up to her! And I'm sure she's not joking: my computer can't analyze her specs!" Yaito snapped at him.

"Yikes! Guts Man! Plug Out!"

"Guts!"

Guts Man was plugged out and the other three stepped back just in case.

"… Farewell."

She suddenly shot "skywards" as a purple swirling vortex opened: she entered it and it closed immediately afterwards.

"… Roll!"

"Glyde!"

"Ice Man!"

"Plug Out!"

The three Navis returned to their Link PETs and the Operators placed them on their holders.

"We've gotta tell Enzan!" Dekao rallied as he ran towards the door at top speed.

"Ah! Wait!" Yaito exclaimed.

Dekao opened the door and a metal basin fell on him, inclining his head towards the right.

"I forgot to disable the security." She admitted.

"You still have this stuff?" Dekao growled.

"I'd rather say you prefer the grasshoppers." Yaito told him.

"Yikes!" Dekao gasped.

"Huh… Yaito – chan keeps on having weird security systems…" Meiru muttered.

"True… And the grasshoppers are terrific enough." Hikawa muttered while rolling his eyes.

"In any case… Let's go meet Mr. Smug Face. He's gonna brag about how IPC will be leader." Yaito grinned.

"Yaito – sama…" Glyde sounded exasperated.

The group came out of the tree-house and headed for the main house: Yaito's limo had been prepared already so they climbed in and drove until they reached the IPC building.

"… I think I'll go. We've worked together before."

"Okay! We'll be waiting."

Meiru stepped out of Yaito's pink limo and headed towards the IPC building's entrance: Enzan came out at that moment.

"… If Ayanokouji bothered to drop by here then it's gotta be something important." He guessed while looking unimpressed.

"We found a "Golden Star" Navi…" Meiru began.

"Ah! Then come. We'll talk of it." Enzan looked interested now.

She followed him into his VP office and Enzan sat on a visitor's armchair while Meiru picked the sofa.

"Okay. Explain."

"Yeah. We were searching a VPN Router when Roll spotted someone heading towards the NVRAM area. We dropped into the Line Console 0 access and the Navi greeted us: _she_'d been expecting us. She even called us "reinforcements"." Meiru began."

"… Damn. Don't tell it's who I fear it is." Enzan grimly muttered.

"Well… She left a message for Forte… "The envoy has resurrected. I shall be waiting." … And her name was - Slur."

"Damn it!" Enzan cursed.

"Shit." Blues growled.

"Oh! She claimed to have known us and knew I'd been granted "Duo's Crest", too!" Meiru recalled.

"We already know who that Navi is." Enzan replied.

"Ah? And you suspected she was alive?" Meiru asked.

"Yeah. That "spy" in the Net Police HQ used abilities which looked too reminiscent of her. And we now got our confirmation. Fan – tas – tic, really!" Enzan grumbled.

"So… Just who was she?" Meiru asked.

"I'm surprised you didn't recognize her. Don't you remember those ruins which had those images of those extraterrestrial guys?"

"Oh! I remember that she suddenly showed up and looked pretty annoyed before she had the place crumble! What bad memory!"

"Well. It can't be helped. It's been 7 months."

"So… She's strong?"

"Yeah. Blues, Search Man and Saito tried to go against her along with Colonel, but we didn't inflict a single wound and she didn't have to sweat to beat us over and over again. Forte, however, having absorbed the remains of "Nebula Grey", was able to delete her back when the battle to protect the "Time Space Tower"..." Enzan explained.

"… Oh! Then we're trouble, right?" Roll guessed.

"Yeah. And I guess they've improved her power, too… I dunno how they got a hold of their data but… This outside of what we can do." Blues growled.

"By the way… Have you made any progress with the riddle which is the key to locating Netto?" Meiru asked of Enzan.

"No. Laika is trying a different approach but it didn't seem to work, either. There are a lot of mountains, lakes and hills in Europe, after all." Enzan sighed in defeat.

"So… What do we do?" Meiru asked.

"Simple enough! You guys stay away from Slur and Forte will handle her: if he _can_, though..." Enzan told them.

"Okay. I'll be going back. Good luck."

"Thanks."

"And tell Ayanokouji that games alone won't be able to compete with IPC too." He made a smug smile.

"Huh… Guess that, yeah."

"And find a way to have Dekao stop bothering us with his _clichés_ and venting off his frustration on us too."

"Deal. I'm fed up with the guy too."

"Who wouldn't?" Blues sighed.

"Anyone would!" Roll complained.

01:18 AM (Switzerland Time), Friday July the 16th…

"… So! Ms. Spy was Slur all along, then, Oriol?"

"Yup. Sorry if I didn't tell you two, but Mr. Shade wanted to play along with suspense."

Kage and Andy were talking with Kuroshiro while inside of their new room: the village's lights were on and there was a mosquito net set on the window.

"Twilight managed to scan her while she was busy battling you three on that day before my "death"… She didn't intervene or say anything because she was smug enough to think she was beyond scanning but Twilight proved her wrong. Twilight wanted her to become a pawn but she fled him: although she didn't know who Duo was anymore, she was intrigued by Mr. Shade and decided to cooperate with him. She's Mark Two, see."

"Hum. Mark Two… Intriguing." Andy sounded amused.

"Ain't it? But… What about Forte?"

"Don't worry. We've improved her power, too. And I guess Forte would rather interrogate her than risk something happening to you two."

"It was a good idea to include "deterrence" in the announcement. They'll think it twice." Kage grinned.

"They'll sure do." Legato announced as he came in.

"Legato. Have you finished cleaning up the Moscow VPN Router?"

"Yes, sir. It is clean." He reported while saluting.

"Good job."

"Thank you very much." Legato bowed.

"Whoa! It's past 1 AM. We better go sleep." Kage exclaimed once he looked at a wristwatch he had.

"Sure. Tomorrow will be good day: you will prove them that you're stronger than even."

"Heh. They'll realize that they're rusty." Andy sounded amused.

"Obviously." Legato grinned.

"Good night!"

"Good night!"

Kuroshiro and Legato stepped out of the room and walked down the corridor into the lab-like room.

"… Have you contacted Flame Man and Gate Man?"

"Yes, sir. Gate Man is keeping Flame Man under tabs at _that place_." Legato reported.

"Good. I guess we'll soon jump to Project: Confusion." Kuroshiro sounded sinister tonight.

"Is that so? That would be a huge breakthrough, sir." Legato commented.

"Heh. Twilight was so idiotically arrogant that he left those schematics behind. We only had to pick 'em up."

"True, sir." Legato confirmed.

Both of them glanced at the mysterious cylinder machine: the laptop was now displaying a set of life-support system graphs: EEG, heartbeat, blood flow and breathing: the EEG graphic displayed a very low level of brain activity.

"… Heh." Kuroshiro put up a smug smile again.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh...!" Legato chuckled.

"… I have prepared a good set of answers to fuel the fear and insecurity on that one, President Hades.

"Excellent, _Mademoiselle_."

Slur was standing in front of Shade while retaining her Navi appearance and looked very confident.

"I would suggest some rest. Tomorrow shall be a busy day."

"Obviously enough."

Slur hovered a few centimeters over the ground before opening a "portal" and transforming into the yellow energy stream to jump inside: Shade hummed a tune.

"Well. These are but trials aimed at the Net Police. I want to test them: have they properly learned how to fight a threat which attacks with a sudden overwhelming style?" He muttered aloud.

"Mr. Shade, sir. Project: Confusion will soon jump into a new stage, sir, and I think that it'll work as scheduled, sir." Kuroshiro came in while taking off the sunglasses.

"Good. By the way, are we advancing on our end of the deal?"

"Over 60% completed… 15 days, give or take, and another 5 days to check it up and run some tests..." He reported.

"Good, good! Our "benefactors" will be pleased. You could dispatch them what you've done insofar to see if they can run some simulations on their end and realize if the parameters must be changed. We don't want to have to redo everything when we've already ended… Do we? Kuroshiro - kun?" He suggested.

"True, sir. I'll do that right now, sir, before going to sleep, sir." Kuroshiro admitted with a smile.

"And please don't push yourself, either."

"I'll try not to, sir."

"Good night, Kuroshiro – kun."

"Good night, Mr. Shade."

Kuroshiro came out while Shade sighed and brought up his laptop: he checked something and smiled.

"Yes. We need to do this. They will end up benefitting."

_Ladies and gentlemen, the curtain is about to rise into the 2__nd__ act. _


	14. Chapter 14: Secret Form: Engage!

**Chapter 14: Secret Form: Engage!**

17:58 PM (Japan Time), Friday July the 16th…

"… Let me introduce Hikari – hakase to this gentleman: Dr. Regal, from King Land."

"Oh! I remember you."

"I am honored."

Yuriko had come over to the Science Labs along with Dr. Regal: he and Dr. Hikari were making an acquaintance of each other.

"Well… It was at that conference back in 2001… It's already been five years? Goodness. Time sure flies by!" Dr. Hikari commented.

"We researchers are always busy." Dr. Regal replied with a smile.

"That's so true." Dr. Hikari admitted.

"I thought I could be way more useful here than in King Land… I am sorry to say that I have not been able to locate that man…" Dr. Regal admitted.

"You have done what you could, Dr. Regal. We're all working at 100%." Dr. Hikari calmly replied.

The sound of something exploding could be heard all of sudden: the alarms turned on.

"What in the…?" Dr. Hikari cursed.

"Dr. Regal – sama. An intruder has broken through the Level 1 Firewall."

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! It's movin' towards Level 2!" Needle Man reported next.

"Enzan – kun came here today, didn't he? Please call him!" Dr. Hikari told Yuriko.

"There is no need for that, Hikari – hakase." Enzan replied as he ran into the room.

"Good! Try to corner the intruder." Dr. Hikari suggested.

"If you shall excuse me, I want to help as well." Dr. Regal announced.

"Thank you very much." Dr. Hikari thanked.

"There is no need. Plug In! Laser Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Needle Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

The three Net Navis entered the Science Labs' Cyber World and spotted the security Navis looking around, seemingly confused.

"What happened?" Blues asked.

"Something very fast ran past us! We didn't have time to react!" One of them admitted.

"Damn! It's intruded Level 2!" Meijin cursed.

"Let's go! To Level 2!" Blues rallied.

They ran forward and soon spotted the gateway leading into Level 2: it was still open: they ran inside and looked around the tall cylindrical and vertical shaft.

"… 03:34… Aren't you guys rather slow? I covered the distance from the VPN tunnel exit to here in 01:45!" A voice rang out above them with a hint of amusement.

"Who goes there?" Blues demanded.

Andy jumped down from a higher level: he had a smug smile on his face and looked rather confident.

"Golden Star!" Blues exclaimed.

"Wasn't it obvious, "Net Savior" Blues?" Andy replied.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Grrr! I'm itchin' for action!" Needle Man announced.

"You're Needle Man… Oh? We didn't have that bulky guy on our database…" Andy recognized before looking intrigued.

"… Who are you calling a "bulky guy"…?" Laser Man demanded with a hint of annoyance.

"Laser Man! Mind it not!" Dr. Regal commanded.

"Roger, Dr. Regal – sama."

"Dr. Regal… My. I've heard that name before." Andy looked intrigued.

"Who's your Operator?" Enzan questioned.

"Do you mean the great me, Ijuiin Enzan?"

A communications window displayed Kage's face: he had sunglasses on and a smug smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Enzan questioned.

"Kage Miquel: _Noir_ Administration." He announced.

"What happened to Hikari Netto and Rock Man?" Enzan questioned.

"Worry not. They're in the basement room." Kage quickly replied.

"The basement room… Then your hideout has a basement." Yuriko guessed.

"Bravo, Ms. Yuriko. Or should I say Ms. Irene Adler?" Kage replied while making a mock applause.

"If you have dared to hurt them…!" Dr. Hikari hissed.

"No, no! They are being given VIP treatment."

"VIP?" Blues questioned.

"Anything they wish - expect for communications equipment - is given to them. Is that fair enough?" Andy replied.

"Hum. Maybe." Dr. Hikari replied.

"… In any case… Andy! Let's go for some real action. We were fed up with those VR simulations." Kage told him.

"Roger, Miquel – kun."

"Battle Chip, Thunderbolt Blade! Slot In!"

Andy formed a thunderbolt-shaped blade on his right forearm and ran towards Needle Man.

"Needle Cannon!"

Needle Man jumped into the air and shot some needles at Andy, who dodged just in time and headed towards Needle Man.

"Che! Needle Attack!"

Needle Man's needles grew longer and he tried to plunge them into his opponent's body.

"Heh. Gotcha."

Andy hit Needle Man with it three times in a row by swinging right and left: he then hit the floor with it and a thunderbolt rained down from the sky thus landing on Needle Man and electrocuting him.

"Gra~h!"

The emergency "LOG-OUT" was triggered.

"What!" Both Blues and Laser Man gasped.

"Hmmm… That Blues guy looks like he's burning. Let's make him a favor and put away those flames." Kage suggested with a smug smile.

"Roger, Miquel – kun. Ijuuin will have to change his "En" _Kanji_ for the "Sui" _Kanji_. _Sui_zan." Andy sounded amused.

"Battle Chip, Dynamic Wave! Slot In!"

Andy spun around his own axis and generated four tall and consecutive _tsunami_ waves which collapsed into Blues' position.

"Heh. Piece of a cake." Andy grinned.

"Oh?"

Andy gasped and felt how something slashed his back: he roared and was propelled forward before he turned around and spotted Blues there.

"_Ka-kawirimi!"_ He cursed.

"Che." Kage grumbled.

"Cross Laser!"

Laser Man had suddenly moved in front of him and generated a cross-shaped laser attack, hitting Andy's body and kicking him into the ground.

"Damn. The miniature _Death Star_ can attack, too." He cursed.

"Very funny." Enzan told them.

"Grftjx! Battle Chip, Elemental Cyclone! Slot In!"

Andy stood up and began to spin around his axis as strong wind currents drew in thousands of green leaves, thus creating a large and wide green-colored tornado which drew Blues into it.

"Battle Chip, Gold Fist! Slot In!"

"Eat this!"

Andy was about to hit Blues in his upper torso, but he placed the Long Sword in the middle and let it be broken as he kicked Andy in the crotch: he opened his eyes wide and groaned in pain.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon! Slot In!"

The close-quarters blast kicked him out of the tornado, which dissolved, and into the ground.

"Grah… And I thought I'd gotten enough pain-resistance training… That was low, Blues!" He grumbled.

"Che! Battle Chip, Recovery 300! Slot In!"

Andy healed and slowly managed to stand up, although he looked like he was still trying to handle the pain of Blues' earlier kick.

"S-shit. T-this… ain't over… yet…! I'll bury you yet…! In a watery grave I'll carve for you!" He cursed.

"Battle Chip, Atomic Blazer! Slot In!"

Andy began to build up energy on his hands and shot a brutal blast of fire forward towards Laser Man.

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura! Slot In!" Dr. Regal announced.

The Dream Aura protected Laser Man and he aimed his right hand's palm forward: a thin laser beam shot out, travelled through the Atomic Blazer, and hit Andy on the upper chest, knocking him back and making him lose his attention.

"Why, you…!" He cursed.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Ugh!"

Blues slashed his back again and he collapsed into the ground again, panting and looking annoyed.

"Battle Chip, Meteor Light Barrage! Slot In!"

Andy stood up, floated in the air, and charged up energy before he shot several energy spheres across the area in a random manner: however, most of them bounced off Laser Man's Dream Aura while Blues cut through the others.

"Damn! I'm supposed to be stronger!" He cursed.

"Give it up." Blues sentenced.

"… Damn. I've got no other tricks left?" Kage cursed.

"Miquel – kun! There's still the Secret Form!" A voice called out off-screen.

"That's gotta be _Noir_." Enzan guessed.

"… Is it me or it sounds familiar?" Blues wondered.

"Secret Form…?" Kage wondered.

"Yup! If you engage it now then you can sweep the floor with 'em on it!"

"Worth a try, I'd say… Huh… Found it… Secret Form: Engage!"

"UGROA~H!"

"W-whoa!"

The lighting in the Cyber World seemed to dim as Andy closed his eyes and black and red strings of energy began to pour out of his chest emblem: they began to form a "cocoon" around his body while more energy flowed and the formation began to hover before it stopped about five centimeters over the ground: the lighting fell even further and the only lights left were the "cocoon" and the glow of the Net Navis' bodies.

"W-what!"

The amplified sound of heartbeats began to ring out as if to add a more dramatic air to the thing.

"W-what's… that?" Blues gasped.

"What pressure…!" Laser Man muttered.

"… Get ready." Andy's cold as ice voice rang out.

The "cocoon" suddenly exploded in a bright flash of crimson red and black light the energy of which propelled both Net Navis across the air until they hit the security wall behind them, getting stuck there with violence.

"Off!"

"Uack!"

Andy had gained a new form which had an "advanced" look to it yet it also looked terrifying.

The helmet's design was rather peculiar because it wasn't a full helmet to begin with: the sides of it had two gray metallic shapes the form of which was slightly reminiscent of the Alphabet "L" character: a fluorescent green incision had been cut in the part adjacent to the face while the larger segments had a yellow-colored incision cut into it as well.

The segment covering the head was built using a blackish material and could be divided in four sections: the centermost, built like a triangle aiming south and which also covered the forehead.

Andy's eyes, visible under the transparent red shades, displayed a total lack of emotion.

It ended slightly over the start of the nose.

The western and eastern sections of the head's protection had been shaped after diamonds aiming NW and NE plus having green fluorescent material running down the sides to join with the "L" shapes.

The rearmost piece was a mere curved segment connecting the lateral pieces: a gray metallic triangle was drawn on the middle of the head from where a black-colored fin emerged: the fluorescent green line divided it into two unequal portions: front and rear, and the rear one was painted using gray metallic coloring.

Andy's hair came out of behind the helmet given how it was a "partial protection" model.

Red thick shades covered the eyes and nose plus a small grayish metallic piece of armor was built to protect his chin and lower jaw: the skin over his neck was black in color.

The chest area had a metallic spheroid protruding out of it and a green-colored incision had been cut on the middle of it: the upper front half was colored in a white-like color while the rear upper half was black: however, the whole lower half had chosen gray as color to be used: the piece of armor below it and connecting to the rest of the body shared the same color.

The armor's colors were combined in the rest of the body below the chest segment.

The flanks of the body had grey armor with green fluorescent edges while the central part of the body was tinted in pitch blackish coloring which was glowing.

Regarding his arms' design, a black piece of armor covered the shoulders which were encompassed by metallic spheroids: these spheroids were not "complete" spheroids because they had a cavity from where the arms emerged.

A thin fluorescent green circular line was placed close to the upper edge where the armor was colored in black color and formed a dome with a hole at the topmost part of each spheroid.

Their inner edge was painted using a yellow palette of coloring: these spheroids also had an indentation signaling the separation between each half.

His arms' skin was black in coloring while the armor built over his wrists was painted using two colors.

Black for the upper half and gray for the lower half: a small thin piece of armor emerging from the upper half and shaped like the Alphabet "L" character turned 90º to the right was also present there.

The legs' armor, however, included two shapes which were a pair of combined cones (fused and aiming up and down) colored metallic gray and set within a green cavity extending from the hips' start to past his knees.

The colors then split as the outer edge of each leg was colored in gray armor while the inner edge were colored black: a green fluorescent line marked the division between them: the lines then drew another cavity which included gray metallic armor plating inside of it.

The feet armor was split in rear and front halves respectively colored black and metallic gray: a fin formed on the front half and it had a green fluorescent line crossing it on its front.

Two discs having an external black edge, an inner thin yellowish edge and a red dome built on the core were set on the upper ends of the shoulder-mounted-pieces: yellowish energy emanated from them and made them look powerful and imposing.

Lastly, two extensions came out from behind the body which happened to be black-colored frames supporting reddish wings which were made of energy flowing from the shorter starting section to the larger outwards section.

"This is… the Ryuusei Form!" _Noir_ announced off-screen.

"Whoa…!" Kage sounded awed.

"… This is _bad_. The power level is off-charts!" Meijin warned.

"What!" Dr. Regal gasped.

"Damn." Enzan muttered.

"Heh… You have two powerful attacks to settle it! Use them, Miquel – kun! Prove your strength!" _Noir_ exclaimed.

"Heh! I'd done that even if ya hadn't told the great me. O. K.! I'll pick this one: Black End Galaxy!" Kage announced.

Andy lifted his hands and formed a small spheroid of blackish energy which he then dropped behind his opponents: it suddenly grew in size and became a black swirling vortex which began to suck everything around it: that thing's power was enough to even pull the heavy Laser Man towards its body.

"I'm b-being pulled!"

Andy then a reddish blade on his right forearm and boosted on forward cutting the air on his wake: he hit Laser Man and flew past the black hole which suddenly collapsed and the shockwave originating from its implosion hit the energy fully thus delivering further damage.

"UO~GH!"

The energy released blinded all sensors for a few seconds, and when the light dimmed, only a crater was left where Laser Man had been standing at.

"The emergency "Log-Out" was triggered!" Dr. Regal gasped in fear at what had happened.

"W-what power!" Even Kage seemed surprised.

"Shit." Blues cursed.

"Settle it!" _Noir_ rallied.

"Hum… Red Gaia Eraser!"

The disks hovering inches from the shoulders flew into the air and then assumed inclined positions aiming diagonally towards Blues.

"Shit."

The disks produced continuous streams of reddish energy which travelled across the ground drawing the Alphabet "X" character: before Blues could recover from this attack Andy formed a red beam which he shot straight at him: a gigantic dome-shaped explosion spread on the spot and it also blinded all sensors.

"UA~H!"

When the imagery come back it could be seen that he'd and wrecked a large part of the floor just as lighting began to return to show a crater easily ten meters wide and three deep: Blues wasn't there anymore and smoke had formed there.

"I-incredible!" Miquel gasped.

"… Heh." Andy merely put up a smug smile.

Andy assumed a fetal position as energy flowed out of him and formed the cocoon again: the energy seemed to be absorbed by his body and the cocoon slowly dissipated to reveal how he'd returned to his normal form.

"W-whoa…!" Kage still sounded awed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Our experimental program works excellently. Well? What happened to earlier guts, "Net Saviors"?" _Noir_ sounded amused.

"_My God_." Dr. Regal gasped.

"What power!" Enzan gasped.

"I can't believe it! Once that form is gone, his power levels don't amount higher than those of Blues'!" Meijin exclaimed.

"Could that power rival that of Forte or Slur?" Dr. Hikari wondered aloud.

"Well… Ms. Slur would still be able to hold her ground with it, but I dunno about Forte…" _Noir_ admitted.

"You people…! What's your goal?" Yuriko questioned.

"I'm not fond of spoilers." _Noir_ replied.

"Nope! A scriptwriter's number one enemy is spoilers!" A familiar voice added.

"… Video Man. Who gave you permission to come out of the Cyber World?" _Noir_ questioned with a hint of annoyance.

"I called him." Slur announced off-screen.

"Ah. Then it's no problem." _Noir_ settled.

"Slur is there, too…" Enzan muttered.

"Do tell Forte one thing: I shall be waiting at the Hokkaido VPN Router JX 55." Slur announced.

"This is getting uglier." Yuriko grumbled.

"Andy! Get outta there." Kage commanded.

"Roger."

Andy ran out of Level 2 at a mad speed and ran past the Level 1 Security Navis until he reached a VPN Tunnel entrance.

"Farewell!"

He jumped inside of the tunnel and it closed before it disappeared.

"… Ryuusei Form…" Enzan grimly muttered.

"… Such power…" Blues muttered.

"Where the hell did they get their hands on that?" Meijin cursed.

"They must've developed it: let devil bite me if Slur didn't give them a hand on that." Yuuichirou grumbled.

"The only positive part is that we know Netto and Rock Man are unharmed and are not being treated badly…" Enzan muttered.

"Rock Man…! I'll definitely rescue you!"

11:11 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Phew! I feel exhausted."

"It's no wonder!"

Andy sat down inside of his room's chair while looking exhausted: Kage was standing in front of him.

"You used a lot of power, after all!" Kage exclaimed.

"I guess I should be concerned with that over-confidence I had of my own…" Andy muttered while frowning.

"Don't worry about it, niisan! We work united, right? Then we can create infinite power between both of us!" Kage told him.

"… Yeah. That's true."

"Heh. This was totally worth it." Kage sounded satisfied.

Both nodded in agreement and either giggled or chuckled under their breaths.

"… So? What did Ms. Slur want outta you, Video Man?"

"Ah! Ms. Slur has a need for my "Videotape Playback" ability. She wants me to record Forte and then generate video copies of him to keep him busy after she is forced to retreat."

Kuroshiro and Video Man were talking in the living room: Kuroshiro was standing in front of the fire-place while Video Man was making a reverence.

"Interesting. Then make sure to have your tape cleaned. You'll need it to create abundant copies." Oriol looked amused.

"Pit Forte against his hide… Heh, heh, heh." Legato sounded amused as well.

"It can be titled _The Video Forte Battle_!" Video Man suggested.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"


	15. Chapter 15: Forte

**Chapter 15: Forte**

21:21 PM (Japan Time), Friday July the 16th…

"… This is the place, huh…"

Forte was standing inside of the Hokkaido VPN router nexus and looking down at its bowels.

"Let's go!"

He dropped down and used his cloak as an improvised parachute to slow down his falling speed until he landed in the Line Console 0's entrance: he ran inside and found Slur floating inside of the RAM and NVRAM area while being surrounded by her classical bright aura.

"Slur." Forte muttered.

"You came." She announced.

"… You don't remember about Duo, I guess." Forte guessed.

"No. I am Slur Mark Two. I am an imitation of her. Made by Twilight. Using scanned data from Mark One…"

"What! So Twilight was the one who resurrected you, then?" Forte gasped in surprise.

"However… Given how he intended for me to be a mere pawn to be used, I decided to seek my own goals since my pride would not allow for that to happen. I approached President Hades and unselfishly lent him power so as to boycott him." She calmly announced.

"So you're an imitation."

"Whether I am nor not an imitation… It does not matter."

"So! I guess those hostages are indeed unhurt."

"Indeed. But our warning still remains as it is." Slur confirmed before reminding him.

"Che." Forte grumbled.

"They do not say that all is allowed during war?" Slur brought up while lifting her right eyebrow.

"They do." Forte grudgingly admitted.

"I should warn you: I have seen all imagery of your battles and the calculations of your specs. To sum it up: "fool me once, then you are to shame. Fool me twice, I am to shame." … The same methodology shall not work twice." She calmly announced.

"Less talking. Fight!" Forte challenged.

"Fine…" She looked amused.

She gracefully landed in the ground and stood there while Forte opened his cloak and assumed a combat posture: he didn't spot Video Man standing in a platform labeled "LINE VTY 12" and having the "record" symbol on his chest.

"Heh, heh, heh…!"

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Forte dashed towards Slur with the Dark Arm Blade drawn, but she stood her ground and calmly shot forward past him while forming those wires: they coiled around the blade.

"What?" Forte gasped.

"Hmpf."

She tugged at them and dragged Forte along, plunging him into the ground in a violent manner.

"Grah!"

Slur then placed her right foot over his back and aimed her yellow sword at his neck.

"Did I not say it? The same methodology shall not work twice." She dulyl announced.

"I wonder 'bout that!"

Forte, however, used his left arm to grab her leg and pull it forward, catching her unaware and making her fall into the ground in a rather unceremoniously manner.

"Huh!"

Forte managed to cut the wires and stand up before stepping back.

"… It would seem there is more to it. Fine." She calmly muttered.

She stood up and shook the dust off her body before she formed the sword and stood there as Forte clashed with her: she had no trouble holding her ground.

"Damn. Last time around I was in clear advantage!" Forte cursed.

"Are you deaf?" Slur taunted.

"Grrr!"

Forte stepped back and seemed to be trying to think of something else given his face.

"Earth Breaker!"

He charged up energy on his right arm and jumped towards Slur, who drew her right arm and blocked him off without getting a single bruise or scratch.

"D-Damn it all! This is starting to look more like my first encounter with you."

"Heh."

Slur suddenly aimed her right hand at Forte's body and began to build up energy spheres which bombarded Forte and pushed him back before she slashed with her yellow sword and kicked him into the ground.

"I might have taken you lightly in the past. But it is now you who are taking me lightly. Reversal of fortunes." She calmly announced with a taunting smug smile.

"Shit. Hell's Buster!"

Forte stood up and shot out several shots at her, which bounced off with a slightly metallic sound.

"What?" Forte gasped.

"Hmpf. My body has a new layer of armor beneath the skin." She announced with a smug smile.

"Damn it." Forte hissed.

Slur then lifted her right arm and formed the red circle: the explosion ensued and Forte roared in pain.

"Uack!"

He then met the ground again while smoking and starting to look rather tired.

"I can see it: you have had no need to draw out your power ever since that day. Thus, it has slowly entered a period of slumber. No matter how you try, you cannot achieve 100% at your current level. It might take long months to draw it out." She announced.

"Shit. This happens to me for being so over-confident." Forte cursed as he somehow managed to stand up.

"It would seem you are stubborn. However… Other affairs recall my attention. I shall grant you a nightmare." Slur announced.

"What! Running away?" Forte cursed.

"… Huh… Heh, heh, heh…! Heh, heh, heh…! Heh, heh, heh…! Heh, heh, heh…! Playback…! Playback…! Playback…!"

A group of about twenty copies of Forte showed up around him and surrounded him, to his surprise.

"What?"

"Look up here!"

Forte looked to the LINE VTY 12 access point and spotted Video Man holding out his videotape, which was shining with energy.

"Video Man!" He cursed.

"Thanks for allowing me to record your hide! This is going to be a nightmare, Forte! Even Rock Man knows to fear this ability!" He announced while laughing.

"Wait. If you're here…" Forte muttered.

"Yeah! Narcy Hide doesn't have a Net Navi anymore: Twilight didn't see him fitting to have that privilege! Thus… He kept me stored in one of his servers before Vice President _Noir_ took me along him!" Video Man announced.

"Shit. That Twilight…! He's left us a thousand headaches running lose before he died!" Forte cursed.

"Farewell."

Slur transformed into the yellow stream of energy and entered her typical purple vortex which then closed.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback!"

More copies formed and it now looked like there were over a hundred of them.

"Hell's Buster!" They all announced.

They bombarded the original with their intermittent fire and he had no choice but to shield himself.

"Have at ya! _Video Man: I'll be back_! Eject!"

Video Man warped into the higher levels and ran into the VPN tunnel before it closed behind him and was deleted.

"Shit!" Forte cursed.

"Hell's Buster!"

Forte managed to jump skywards but the copies suddenly imitated his movements.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

"Huh! Dark Arm Blade!"

They began to attack him one after the other and he could barely keep them at bay with his own Dark Arm Blade.

"Shit! I need backup!" He cursed.

"Blizzard!"

"Glyde Cannon!"

"Water Fountain!"

"Heart Slash!"

"Number Ruler!"

"Mega Guts Punch!"

Forte gasped as the six attacks deleted a lot of the copies: Ice Man, Glyde, Aqua Man, Roll, Number Man and Guts Man dropped into the area all of a sudden.

"You guys!" He exclaimed.

"Blues told us he expected trouble: we've come just in the nick of time, it'd seem!" Roll announced.

"Whoa. I owe Blues one." Forte admitted.

"Is this Video Man's work?" Glyde wondered.

"Yeah! He recorded me while I was trying to fight Slur!" Forte admitted.

"Pyurururu? And what happened, pyu?" Aqua Man asked.

"Che! It turns out my own power is "sleeping" and I couldn't draw all of it out! She then fled!" Forte exclaimed.

"This is bad." Number Man commented.

"Guts! There are still a lot! Guts!" Guts Man exclaimed with obvious nervousness.

"Fight! Desu!" Ice Man rallied.

"Aqua Shoot! Puku!"

A shot destroyed another two or three copies as Bubble Man came into the area.

"I'll help the "Darkloid" ally, Forte – sama, de puku!" He exclaimed.

"… Okay. Do as you like." Forte replied.

"If we could clear a lot of them at the same time…!" Glyde muttered while shooting at one.

"Stand back." Forte commanded.

"Okay!"

"Darkness Overload!"

He shot the blast at a group of ten copies and vaporized all of them while leaving a crater behind.

"Ops. I better be careful: I don't wanna damage any of the memory storages." Forte muttered.

"… Phew! We did it!" Roll sighed in relief.

"Yeah. Somehow!" Forte sighed in relief as well.

"Golden Star is fond of cheating, huh? No surprise: all bad guys end up resorting to that." Yaito commented.

"They sure are! De masu!" Higure grumbled.

"… They're terrible…!" Shuuko muttered.

"I'd like to beat 'em up!" Dekao exclaimed.

"Dekao – kun…" Hikawa sounded exasperated.

"He won't learn." Meiru added in a resigned tone of voice.

"… I'm going to go back to my base: I gotta rest. Thanks for your helps, guys." Forte announced while barely repressing a yawn.

"We've gotta go sleep, too. It's gotten late!" Meiru suggested.

"Heh! Then I'm gonna come up with a flawless strategy to beat 'em all by the morning!" Dekao boasted.

"Shut up." Yaito snapped at him.

"Guess he won't learn… See you guys around." Forte muttered with a hint of amusement before addressing the others.

"Good night." They all replied.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Someone chuckled.

"Huh? Guts?" Guts Man wondered.

"Oh my?" Number Man wondered.

"Pyrururu?" Aqua Man wondered.

"Desu?" Ice Man wondered.

"What?" Roll wondered.

"Who could that be?" Glyde wondered.

"Puku?"

"Time and Space are going chaotic! It must be the handiwork of the almighty rulers of Time and Space!"

"HUH?" They all looked puzzled.

"Beware! You need the 8 Badges to stand up to them!"

"What 8 Badges?" Roll wondered.

"Dunno. Puku." Bubble Man muttered.

"That voice…" Dekao sounded suspicious.

"Your uncle." Yaito laughed.

"Wha~t?"

"Oh come on." Meiru and Hikawa skeptically muttered.

"Beware! Beware! The campaign has begun. Takeda Shingen's incarnation is coming!"

"Takeda Shingen? De masu?"

"His incarnation…?" Shuuko wondered.

"Puku? Who's that? Puku?"

"The inventor of Anti –Bubble Man Sprays!"

"A~H! PUKU~!"

Bubble Man ran off like he was going to be slaughtered there and now before the others could react.

"Hey. I was going back and now trouble shows up?" Forte complained as he dropped back in.

"Trouble indeed!" The voice proclaimed.

"Video Man. Show your useless recycled hide."

"Come to London's West End to see my glorious form."

"No. Wait. You're not Video Man…"

"… Shadow Man. Stop fooling around."

"What, Miyabi… You stole the grace."

"Shadow Man again? What's gotten into the guy?" Forte groaned.

"Dunno." Meiru admitted.

"The _ninja_ flu!" Yaito laughed.

"Hmpf." Miyabi was unimpressed.

"Not bad, little girl… I'll patent that." Shadow Man sounded amused.

"Sure, sure! Now we wanna go sleep so go troll a squirrel statue deep in the mountains!" Forte complained.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

15:15 PM (Switzerland Time)…

"… All is ready, Vice President _Noir_. What should we tell Andy – kun and Kage, though? Those guys will bring the topic up."

"Don't worry: I've predicted that."

Legato was speaking with Kuroshiro inside of the lab-like room: there was one noticeable difference today: the cylinder's black walls were gone, revealing it to only have a central thin cylindrical column inside of it: the column had a strange brown leather helmet which included black shades attached to it.

Other things in the column included what looked like an oxygen mask and some restrain-like mechanisms: there were four curved hatches set on the metallic ground as well.

The adjacent laptop's life-support graph was inactive and dead as well: what had been inside of it wasn't there anymore.

"Is that so?" Legato asked.

"Yeah. We'll simplify it and they'll understand it perfectly enough. They don't need to realize the truth of the whole deal."

"Roger. I have forwarded the instructions to both Gate Man and Flame Man." Legato reported.

"Heh! Even Forte needed helping hands to deal with over a hundred copies. Amusing, ain't it?"

"True." Legato sounded amused.

"Well, well, well! Operation: Confusion can soon begin. It'll be the ultimate operation. "

"… Heh, heh, heh. Oriol – sama is a genius."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Net Police! Experience chaos itself!" Legato challenged.

_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! I'm a genius: rot in your grave, Twilight!_


	16. Chapter 16: The return

**Chapter 16: The return**

15:35 PM (Moscow Time), Sunday July the 18th…

"… Damn it!"

"Laika – sama…"

BANG!

Laika banged his work desk in obvious frustration after having been working on something: Search Man looked concerned.

"I can't find the answer! We've been working on this for seventeen days and I can't find the goddamn answer! This is a mockery from the beginning to the end!" He growled aloud.

"Laika!" A commanding voice rang out.

Laika gasped and quickly stood up while turning around and saluting: Commissioner Malenkov was standing there and looked serious.

"Commissioner…! I apologize for my behavior." He announced.

"… Drop the formalities. Laika. I know it frustrates you. But you cannot give it up." Malenkov told him.

"… Uncle…" Laika muttered.

"Look! This is what they're aiming for! They want us to despair and believe we can't win… Remember! Sharo Nation looked doomed time ago, but thanks to the discovery of rare metal, we've risen!" Malenkov explained to him.

"… That is true, but…" Laika argued.

"What would Netto – kun do if he were you?" Malenkov asked.

Laika gasped and seemed to have realized something.

"… He… wouldn't give it up. Even if meant doing something reckless… He'd come up with something…" Laika muttered.

"True, Laika – sama."

"Then try to narrow down your searches. We know they were in Berlin. Why don't you try to limit yourself to Germany instead of the whole of Western Europe?" Malenkov told him.

"… It might work…" Laika muttered.

"Laika. Remember. You're not the only one who's feeling like this. But if we stand united, then we can make a breakthrough!" Malenkov told him.

"... You're right, Uncle. Netto wouldn't like seeing me giving it up. He was the one who defended my actions back when I tried to rescue Morozov from the rare metal mine…" Laika admitted.

"Then… Return the favor! If you can't crack the riddle, then lure them out and have them learn that they shall be facing the might of the Sharo Net Police for their criminal acts!" Malenkov told him.

"Yes, sir! Search Man!" Laika addressed him.

"Please command me." Search Man replied.

"Go to the Vladivostok VPN Router NDT 115! You might find something there, even!" Laika commanded.

"Roger!"

"See, Laika? This is what defines you. Use your head! Think!" Malenkov rallied.

"Yes, sir! I shall resume my investigation. I apologize for my earlier outburst." He announced.

Laika sat back and began to type commands into the computer while Malenkov looked somewhat relaxed.

_Laika_… _You can do it!_

"… And Uncle Igor will be ruled by _vodka_! How's that one like, Rolonforst?"

"Chut! Work!"

"Huh! Yes, sir!"

15:51 PM (Moscow Time)…

"… Huh?"

Search Man was investigating the appointed VPN Router when he spotted some voice traffic: intrigued, he picked it up.

"…burn somethin'?" A heavy voice was asking in Japanese.

The reply voice traffic came down the same channel and Search Man picked it up as well.

"No! Can't you think of something else but burning?" An exasperated voice replied.

_Legato!_ Search Man recognized it.

"But ya see…!" The other voice argued.

"No! You can't, Flame Man! You'd end up blowing the place up along with yourself!" Legato hissed.

_Blowing the place up with a fire attack…? Is it an explosive storage building, mine or factory? Or are they near a gas or oil deposit?_ Search Man wondered.

"Huh! Then I won't do it! I don't wanna blow my hide up!" Flame Man sounded scared.

"… Told you." Another voice added in the background.

"Che! Aren't you supposed to be watching the below deck room where that gnat is at?" Flame Man told the other voice.

_Below deck room… "Gnat"…? Hikari! They mean Hikari! I see! They're keeping him on a ship which is parked in that "Great Lake". The HQ must be close by to monitor it! _Search Man grasped.

"Come on. Do you expect the "Net Savior" to be able to open that door from the inside? It's 10cm thick. And it can only be opened from the outside, Flame Man." The voice told him.

"Che! Why do ya have to be the genius, Gate Man?" Flame Man grumbled.

"You two! Behave yourselves!" Legato ordered.

"Roger." Gate Man calmly replied.

"Uh! Yeah!" Flame Man gasped.

"I'll talk it with Vice President _Noir_. You really need to be transferred to the Combat Division. Cosmo Man would do a good replacement."

"Fine! Just make it happen quick! I'm about to go and set Internet City in flames!" Flame Man urged.

"… If you dare to exit the tanker, then you'll be a dead former Greiga Army "Zoanoroid"." Legato icily told him.

_Tanker! So that's why Flame Man could've blown it out: even while empty, oil remains inside of it and keeps on being highly flammable!_

"Grah! I'll stay put!" Flame Man gasped.

"Obey and live." Gate Man told him.

"Che! Shut up." Flame Man growled.

"I'll try for the transfer to be made today. Gate Man! If he tries to go outside his orders, contact me ASAP!" Legato commanded.

"Roger." Gate Man confirmed.

"Che!" Flame Man cursed.

The voice traffic data stopped flowing but Search Man had already analyzed the packet structure.

"Hmmm… Origin and destination IPv4 addresses were encrypted. It'd seem the riddle only pointed out the HQ, but they decided to move Hikari to a tanker overseas, given the direction the signal came out from. Maybe it's in Japan, even! I wouldn't be surprised if they thought they'd fooled us like this." He muttered aloud.

"… I heard everything. I agree with your analysis. Let's try to search: maybe they're even using that tanker Twilight used to shoot the components of his space station into orbit." Laika commanded with a grin.

13:03 PM (Switzerland Time)…

"… So, Oriol… How are things going like?"

"We came up with a subtle plan."

"Oh?"

Kage was standing inside of his room and stretching: he only had the S&M gear on and had some white stains on his body: he looked somewhat intrigued.

"Heh, heh."

Kuroshiro was storing the stuff into the suitcase as he'd made the announcement and he closed it.

"In case Enzan could begin to think that you're Netto – kun, we've thought of using a distraction."

"Hmmm… A lookalike, you mean to say?" Kage guessed.

"Yeah. We've been secretly training him."

"Heh. It sounds intriguing."

"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you before, but we wanted to make sure it was feasible before setting the plan up." Kuroshiro apologized.

"You needn't to. I can understand that, Oriol! By the way… I like this game more and more with every passing day. I feel like I'm gonna beat all existing records." Kage commented as he eyed his body.

"Is that so?" Kuroshiro sounded intrigued.

"Yeah! And I'm glad you're protecting me but teaching me about how the world works like. I owe you a lot, Oriol." Kage told him.

"Remember that the blond color comes off with a shower!"

"Yeah. It is funny how I've gotta take like an hour to fix my hairstyle after I wake up, but I don't mind it. It's always better than having had to undergo plastic surgery."

"I'll be going to store this and Legato will bring the lunch once he finishes with Andy. See you around, Miquel – kun."

"Sure. Make those guys boil their brains." Kage grinned.

"My. That'd be lovely, even."

Kage stepped out while Miquel whistled a tune as he dressed up with his new set of clothes and then opened the blinder to look out into the landscape.

"Heh. Lookalike… They won't be able to smoke it out so easily!" He muttered with obvious eagerness.

"Yo~! Blowing blower of blowing blows came to blow the blowing blower up." Andy joked as he came in.

"That's… too long." Kage looked taken aback.

"Ya never know, otouto – chan!"

"Oh please…"

"Since you used to say "Meijin - chan"…" Andy giggled.

"You can have weird moods from time to time too."

"Who knows? Maybe we'll need to ask Aogiri?"

"The Leader of the "Aqua Gang" in _Pocket Monsters Sapphire_…? I thought Matsubusa was cooler. Groudon was a mole." Kage muttered.

"And so was Kaiorga."

"But Rayquazza was cool too anyway."

"And Deoxys too. Let's have them rock and beat." Andy grinned.

"Rock and beat...? Don't you mean _rock 'n roll_?" Kage frowned.

"Who knows?"

"Alright, alright… But I still think you're in a weird mood today."

"Heh, heh, heh! Mr. Moody Days came by~!"

21:21 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So! The IP address origin was over here."

"So it'd seem, Enzan – sama."

It was late night and Enzan was walking around the port district while looking around with binoculars: the moon could be seen in the sky and provided some illumination.

"Hmmm?"

He spotted a security guard watching the entrance to a factory-like building: he seemed to be hearing to the radio and drinking hot chocolate.

"Excuse me! "Net Saviors", sir." Enzan called out.

"What's the matter?" The guard asked.

"You can see the ships which come in and out during the day, sir?" Enzan politely asked.

"I can. I like making a list of them." The guard admitted.

"Has any tanker dropped anchors here?" Enzan asked.

"Tanker… Wait a minute." The guard frowned.

He took out an agenda and flipped two pages back while humming some tune or another.

"Oh! True. One came in yesterday, Saturday July the 17th. It was named _Vittorio Emanuele II di Savoia_ and it obviously had Italian flag. It looked like a small tonnage tanker. The funny part is that I've never seen its crew: maybe it's radio-controlled and needs to be refilled." The guard listed as he checked his notes.

"So it's still here… Can you signal its position?" Enzan muttered before asking.

"Sure! Do you see that Korean cargo ship? It's behind it and fifty meters to the right of the Dock#13…!" The guard began saying as he signaled over there.

Suddenly, though, something flashed and was followed by a brutal deflagration and explosion which illuminated the night: a hot rush of wind blew across the area and even Enzan and the guard felt it while being seven hundred meters away.

"WHAT!"

The noise of something hitting the water could be heard as several explosions rang out and pieces of the tanker flew out.

"Kami – sama!" The guard uttered.

"Call an ambulance and the firefighters!" Enzan requested.

"Y-yeah!"

Enzan ran towards there while looking absolutely terrorized: Blues had a face of angst too.

"Damn it! Flame Man actually did get to make the tanker explode in the end! Netto…! No! That first noise of something falling in the water must've been Netto!" He cursed as he ran.

He ran towards the spot closest to the burning tanker while he tried to ignore the heat.

"H… help…!" A weak voice called out.

Enzan gasped and spotted someone clutching into the cement blocks piled next to the docks: he could also see some of the oil flowing towards there as well.

"Gotta hurry!"

He jumped down into the blocks and quickly pulled the person out of the water: it seemed to be shorter than him, thus furthering his hunch of who it was.

"Up you go!"

And not a moment too soon: the oil caught fire.

"Too close…!"

He then carefully carried the soaked person until he spotted a spot with artificial lighting and set in on the ground: it was Netto.

"Netto!" Enzan gasped.

Enzan could see that he was wearing his usual clothes and his skin was somewhat pallid.

"What happened to his skin?"

He was unconscious and some blood was flowing out of a wound on the right side of his skull.

"That looks ugly."

His Link PET had a shrapnel fragment stabbed into it and looked rather damaged, given its frizzling.

"Damn." He cursed.

He took it out and tried to turn on the screen but to no avail.

"Saito…!" Blues gasped.

"We'll have to take it to the Science Labs!" Enzan exclaimed.

He heard the noise of the ambulance and the firefighters, so he stood up and flashed his "NS" emblem to guide them: the ambulance parked there.

"Please hurry it up! He's bleeding from his skull!" Enzan rallied.

"Kami - sama! What a wound! Quick!" One nurse gasped.

The two nurses placed Netto in a stretcher and quickly applied first aid to him while setting up an oxygen mask: they closed the door and departed the area while the firefighters began to try to control the flames.

"Call for an oil barrier!" One commanded.

Enzan stepped away from them and spotted a Net Police car parked there: Detective Misaki was the driver.

"I saw everything. Climb in! We'll leave the PET in the Science Labs and then rush towards the hospital!" Misaki told Enzan.

21:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hmmm… It looks like another boring night."

"Meijin!"

"Uh!"

Meijin had been reading the newspapers while inside of the Science Labs' main room and looked distracted when someone called out for him, snapping him out of his mood.

"Huff, huff…"

Enzan ran it while looking totally out of breath and the deposited the damaged Link PET on the desk.

"Isn't that…?" He gasped.

"We found him!" Enzan exclaimed.

"What!" Meijin uttered.

"Please take care of the repairs! Every second may count! We'll explain the story later!" Enzan told him.

"R-roger!" Meijin gasped.

He picked the PET and quickly ran off towards another lab.

"Blues. You can stay here." Enzan told him.

"Roger, Enzan – sama." Blues confirmed.

Enzan plugged Blues into the main computer and then ran off the room at top speed: Misaki was waiting in the entrance.

"I'll contact his parents: please drive to the hospital, sir!" He requested to Misaki.

"Alright!"

_Netto…! We finally found you, but…! No…! You'll survive…! I know you will…! I believed in you! I believed you'd find a way out…! And you did!_

22:55 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh…"

Enzan was sitting right outside of the operating room: Dr. Hikari was also present along with Misaki.

"So… It's safe to assume that Netto managed somehow to escape the below deck room and Flame Man happened to be doing sentry duty, so he foolishly forgot his orders and tried to stop him by creating a circle of fire around him…" Dr. Hikari summarized.

"It is what makes sense from the data Search Man intercepted. The receiver was somewhere in Sicilia, so it'd seem that the riddle either was a fake to throw us off or they picked that spot to fool us." Enzan explained.

"I guess this will be a big blow for them." Misaki commented.

"Now that they don't have a deterrent, we'll be able to go all out on them and apprehend them." Prism Man commented.

The sing suddenly turned off and everyone gasped: a medic walked out while removing the mask.

"Sensei…" Dr. Hikari called out.

"He'll recover."

Everyone sighed in relief.

"However... The hit damaged a part of his brain. He will most likely have some partial amnesia." He warned.

"Partial amnesia…" Misaki muttered.

"But his core memories regarding who he is and his family may not be affected, right?" Dr. Hikari asked.

"… If I had to guess, I'd say no. Maybe some distant events will be forgotten. We'll have to have talks with him in order to determine it." The medic replied.

"Thank you very much." Dr. Hikari thanked.

The doors opened and Netto's stretcher was brought up: he had a thick bandage around his head and was still breathing through an oxygen mask: the three of them watched him pass by.

"Room 1701. But he will most likely not regain consciousness until tomorrow morning." The medic told them.

"We understand." Enzan replied.

"… Enzan – sama!"

Blues projected with the hologram and looked relieved.

"How is Saito like, Blues?" Enzan asked.

"He can be fully repaired. But a segment of his memory files got damaged due to the abrupt damage of the Link PET. He might suffer some partial amnesia as well. Since it could turn worse if attempted to repair, Meijin decided to skip it. But his core memories are intact, nevertheless." Blues reported.

"… I'd say we all go sleep. Netto will be under good care. And he's now back." Yuuichirou suggested.

"… True, Hikari – hakase… Eh… Might I come greet him by tomorrow?"

"Of course, Misaki – kun! You're good friends, after all." Dr. Hikari told him with a smile.

"Well then… Let's go sleep." Enzan suggested.

They came out into the street and climbed into Misaki's car which had been stopped at the parking lot.

"ENZA~N! I'LL USE MY NEW PKMN EARTHQUAKE BATTLE CHIP AND SWEEP THE FLOOR WITH BLUES STANDING ON IT!" Dekao yelled as he suddenly popped up in the screen.

"Go ahead." Enzan wasn't impressed.

"Guts, guts! But how will we make that…?"

Dekao gasped and cut but Enzan formed a grin nevertheless…

08:58 AM (Japan Time), Monday July the 19th…

"… Huh… Huh…? Where… is this…?"

"Akihara Hospital."

Netto slowly awoke and looked somewhat confused: a nurse walked over to him and smiled.

"… Akihara… Hospital…? What… happened to me…?" He slowly asked.

"A medic will now come and check you up: we believe you have some symptoms of partial amnesia." The nurse told him.

"Huh… I understand… Onee – san…" Netto politely replied.

"Please don't try to move or remove the oxygen mask." The nurse instructed.

She walked out and Netto was left alone: he examined the surroundings while still looking confused.

"Hospital…? My head itches…" He muttered.

The door opened a medic came in while carrying a clipboard. he picked a chair and sat down next to him.

"Good morning, Netto – kun." He greeted.

"Good morning, _sensei_…" Netto politely replied.

"So! I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to ask them as closely as you can remember." The medic told him.

"Yes, sir…"

"How old are you?"

"13 years old, _sensei_… I was born on June the 9th, 1993…"

"What's your father's name?"

"Hikari Yuuichirou."

"What's your mother's name?"

"Hikari Haruka."

"What's your grandfather's name?"

"Hikari Tadashi."

"Good. Let's see… What's your favorite meal?"

"… Curry rice, _sensei_… The Curry Shop's Maha Ichiban's Maha Special…"

"Can you remember your best friends?"

"Huh… Well… Sakurai Meiru – chan… Ooyama Dekao… Hikawa Tooru – kun… Ayanokouji Yaito – chan… Ijuuin Enzan… Laika…" He listed.

"What are the names of their Net Navis?"

"… Roll… Guts Man… Ice Man… Glyde… Blues… Search Man…" He recalled.

"Good enough… Let's see… I've been told you are a "Net Savior". Do you remember the fact?"

"I do: I was appointed in February, 2005… But I don't seem to remember what prompted Commissioner Kifune to do that…" Netto frowned.

"Hum. That's one blurry spot. Let's check… Do you remember anything special taking place in late May of the same year?" The medic asked next while looking up.

"… Not really…" Netto replied after one or two minutes.

"Hum. So that's another blurry spot… Does the name "Nebula" sound familiar?"

"Nebula… Don't you mean a space nebula?" Netto frowned.

"This one seems like a big one… Eh… Does the name "Neo WWW" sound familiar?" The medic asked.

"… Oh! Yeah! It was leaded by Tesla Magnets… There were another four guys there… Inukai Takeo… Sunayama Noboru… Narcy Hide… Saiko Rei… The Navis were Magnet Man… Beast Man… Desert Man… Video Man… Flash Man…"

"Hum… This was disbanded in October, so… Look. I'll try to narrow down the period of time which you have trouble remembering. Okay?" The medic muttered before telling him.

"Huh… yes, sir…" Netto nodded in understanding.

"Name anything important which happened in September, 2004." The medic told him.

"… I started 5th grade… And I finally got my custom Net Navi… Rock Man EXE… Ah! Rock Man! What happened to him?" Netto muttered, recalling before gasping.

"Do not fret. I've been told by your father that they managed to repair him. They're waiting outside until I finish the examination." The medic told him.

"… Sorry for the interruption… Rock Man is… like a brother to me. I can't bear not being with him for long." Netto apologized.

"I understand. Can we continue?" The medic smiled.

"Yes, sir… Please continue."

"Good! What happened in October of the same year?"

"The N1 Grand Prix… The Pharaoh Man incident… The disbanding of the original WWW…" He recalled.

"So… What happened starting in November and until December?"

"The Gospel crisis… And then we had to fight a Dream Virus in Jawaii…"

"Do you remember any special abilities Rock Man may have had?" The medic asked.

"Style Change…"

"Good. So… Can you remember anything from February, 2005 until late May of the same year?" The medic asked.

"… I've got the feeling like something important went on… But I can't remember it." He admitted.

"That must be the spot where you suffered most of the damage, it'd seem. Can you remember anything which happened starting on late May?" The medic asked.

"… The stuff with a guy named "Duo" began… And it stretched until November… The Neo WWW was mixed in as well… And some bad Navis, too… One of them was… a copy of Rock Man…" Netto slowly replied.

"So, for the time being, it'd seem that there's just one spot where your memory is very blurry… What happened on late November stretching to late December?" The medic wrote down before asking.

"The Zoanoroid invasion… And then some stuff involving a guy named "Professor", a couple of bad guys and some sole incidents… The Phantom Navis… A bad guy named Cache…"

"Did anything special or out of the ordinary happen in late April or early May?" The medic asked.

"… Anything…? I think not…"

"Hum. So even as recently as May you have memory problems… You can remember what's happened this month until today, though?" The medic asked.

"… Ah! I was being held hostage by some bad guys… yesterday night… I tried to escape… an explosion… and a hit on my head… I swam until the shore… and someone pulled me out… but I lost consciousness… Guess the wound was to blame…" He gasped.

"… Hmmm… Overall, your partial amnesia isn't very grave. Maybe things will come back over the time. Regarding your physical status… I'd say you stay here another three days." The medic concluded while writing down the answers on the clipboard.

"… I understand. _Sensei_…" Netto replied.

"Here. Have some water."

The medic removed the oxygen mask and helped him drink it before he replaced it again.

"You'd better not move from that pose for a while. I'll allow your parents in. Good morning."

"Good morning, _sensei_…"

The medic walked out and Netto sighed in relief: he waited some minutes while he heard muffled voices on the outside: his parents walked in.

"Papa! Mama!" He sounded rejoiced.

"Netto!"

"Dear!"

Haruka walked next to him and hugged him, surprising him: Yuuichirou simply deposited a brand new Link PET on the desk.

"Netto – kun! Otouto!" Saito called out as he projected.

"Saito – niisan! You're okay!" Netto sounded rejoiced.

"Yeah… Truth is… Some of my memory files got damaged, so… We're in the same condition…" Saito admitted.

"Whoa… Papa… Mama… I missed you!" Netto exclaimed.

"We know. But it's over. We can be at ease." Haruka replied.

"We'll be leaving you two to catch up for a while. Your friends will be coming to visit." Yuuichirou told him.

"Oh… Thanks." Netto replied.

"Be a good boy and behave. Alright?"

"Later."

The door closed and Netto suddenly began to form a smug expression over his face along with Rock Man.

"… Heh."

"Hmpf…"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…!"


	17. Chapter 17: Explanations

**Chapter 17: Explanations**

13:50 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 22nd…

"… Here we are! Remember it?"

"Whoa. Now I do."

Netto was sitting at Enzan's right inside of his IPC limo when they stopped in front of the Net Police HQ and Netto looked at it with awe: he still had a thick bandage around his head but he covered it up with the bandana.

"Let's go: they're expecting you."

"Okay!"

They climbed down and entered the reception.

"Huh… I remember this too…"

They then headed over towards the elevators and climbed into the 7th floor.

"This elevator is as slow as ever."

"True." Enzan grinned.

They came out of it and headed into a meeting room: Kifune, Manabe and Misaki were present.

"Good morning! Commissioner Kifune… Manabe – san… Misaki – san!"

"Good morning."

Netto sat down on a chair and picked one glass with water on it: he drank it and sounded relieved.

"Ah… I lately feel very thirsty." He admitted.

"So… Will you please explain us your version of the events?"

"Eh… Yes, sir! Eh… The explosion happened and I was rather unhurt save for one or two cuts or scratches. Legato suddenly crept on me and knocked me out using a steel rood." Netto began.

"And he then switched off the PET, too." Rock Man added.

"What happened afterwards?" Enzan asked.

"I dunno how many hours I was out cold… But I awoke inside of an unlit room somewhere… Rock Man was with me, but he told me that the room was built with EM Waves absorption material: no signals could come in or out." Netto explained.

"True. We tried several times: but it was in vain."

"So this is why we were unable to contact you or pick the GPS signal…"

"Legato came in and we demanded explanations out of him. And he talked about it: we'd been abducted to be "deterrents" to ensure _Golden Star_'s rise to power." Netto explained.

"That's true. They were holding us back by threatening to harm you two if we tried to catch them." Misaki confirmed.

"The room was always locked from the outside and the only person we ever got to see was Legato. He brought Netto – kun the meals and he always kept him at bay with his weapons modes. He never laid a finger on us because he'd been ordered to not to touch us." Rock Man explained.

"Did you ever hear or see guy named _Noir_?" Enzan asked.

"I heard him talking with Legato just in front of the door one night. They were discussing about if they'd gone a bit off the board with some "riddle" and they were talking if they'd need to pick up a safer place." Netto seemingly recalled.

"What kind of voice did he have?" Blues asked.

"… He sounded like me… I mean… It was still slightly pitchy." Rock Man seemed to remember.

"You weren't told where you were being confined at?" Manabe asked next with a hint of curiosity.

"No. I confronted Legato over and over again, but he always replied "Need Not To Know" in English." Netto sighed.

"So… Did you notice switching places?" Kifune asked.

"Yes, sir! It was a week ago. Netto – kun didn't wake up that morning and I guessed his food had been drugged. Legato came in and shut my program down for about three hours." Rock Man reported.

"Hmmm… And you then awakened inside of a metallic-like room?" Prism Man asked.

"Yeah… The door couldn't be opened from the inside and it was 10cm thick. Two former "Zoanoroids" were on charge of keeping us guarded: Gate Man and Flame Man."

"Gate Man always brought the food and all while I always heard Flame Man grumble something as he patrolled the ship during nighttime." Netto detailed.

"So… How did you manage to run away?" Enzan asked.

"I decided to go for a trick I saw on a movie… I feigned having stomach aches and made a lot of noise while hiding at the space which would be covered by the open door. Like I'd guessed, Gate Man came in and looked panicked: he obviously was hoping he hadn't made a mistake with the food or Legato would have his head. I used the chance to run out while locking him inside." Netto explained with a broad smile.

"I can guess the rest. Flame Man was on the deck and saw you running out of the ship, so he thought of cornering you with his fire and forgot it was a tanker." Enzan announced.

"Huh? Wait! Were you there?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. Search Man had intercepted voice traffic over at Vladivostok between those two and Legato. He managed to narrow down the IP Address to the Akihara Port area, so I got there. I was checking up if any tankers had come in at all and, when I was being told where it was parked at, it blew up." Enzan explained.

"Enzan – sama saw you jumping out of the water and he quickly pulled you out before the oil caught fire. It was something dangerously close."

"Whoa! Then I owe you my life, Enzan…! Sorry for not realizing it before."

"Don't worry." Enzan told him with a smile.

"Thank you…" Netto looked relieved.

"Incidentally… Flame Man roared the following thing: "I won't let this gnat run away! Burn! Fire Breath!" … And Gate Man happened to be catching up, so he tried to stop him: "Stop it, Flame Man! This is a tan-!" … He didn't get to finish as Flame Man happened to hit one of the tanks. I don't remember anything else because that must've been when my PET got damaged." Rock Man detailed.

"How idiotic… He was told that he could be blown up if he tried to do that and he ended up ignoring it… And I'd been better if Cosmo Man had gotten to replace him." Misaki commented.

"I already spoke with Laika. He's glad I'm fine." Netto added.

"Well then… I guess you two must be somewhat rusty. How about you spar with us to shake that rustiness off?" Blues suggested with a smile.

"Yeah! I'd like that, Blues." Rock Man confirmed.

"We'll brief you on what's happened over here over the days to come. In the meanwhile… Be glad that you're back with us." Kifune told them.

"Yes, sir!" Both replied.

"Okay! Let's go: I'll drop you by Ayanokouji's place." Enzan told him as he stood up.

"I thought you couldn't stand her, Enzan!" Netto sounded surprised.

"I only said "drop you". I didn't say "come along with you"." Enzan reminded him.

"Che! You keep on having that double-edged words style." Netto looked amused.

"Or maybe it's a double-edged _sword_?" Rock Man suggested.

"My. That could be true too." Blues smiled.

14:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Okay… I climb the stairs… And… Hello!"

Netto entered the tree house and stood on the threshold: the metal basin suddenly fell on top of him and inclined his head towards the right.

"Ops! I keep on forgetting to disable that!" Yaito exclaimed.

It slid down into the group and Netto fixed his head.

"Man…! You pulled the same thing on Mejin – san back when the final battle with Gospel!" Netto exclaimed.

"Oi! Netto! I challenge ya to a Net Battle!" Dekao announced.

"Dekao – kun! That's unfair! He just got out of the hospital yesterday! He's barely had time to catch up!" Meiru protested.

"Don't mind it, Meiru – chan! I still remember most of my tricks!" Netto replied.

"Okay! Plug In! Guts Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

The two Navis entered Yaito's tree house computer.

"Guts Man! It's been a while!"

"Guts, guts! Today Guts Man will beat Rock Man and gain Roll – chan's admiration! De guts!"

"Nope. You'll get Aki – chan's admiration." Roll corrected with a smug smile on her face.

"O~H! DE GATTSU~! AKI – CHA~N!" Guts Man daydreamed.

"Guts Man! Battle!"

"Huh! Guts!"

"Battle Chip, Mega Guts Punch! Slot In!"

"Guts, guts! Mega Guts Punch!"

Guts Man swung the punch towards Rock Man, who lifted an eyebrow in surprise and then jumped into the air before landing in top of it and shooting some simple Rock Buster shots at Guts Man's face, startling him for a moment.

"Battle Chip, Wide Sword! Slot In!" Netto announced.

"Wide Sword!"

Rock Man hit Guts Man's torso and kicked him into the ground.

"Grah! Battle Chip, Count Bomb!"

"Count Bomb! Gutsu!"

Guts Man threw the Count Bomb at Rock Man, but he jumped into the air and kicked it back at Guts Man, exploding right in front of his noses: Rock Man then attacked with the Wide Sword again.

"Che! Battle Chip, Guts Hammer! Slot In!"

"Guts Hammer!"

"Battle Chip, Hi Cannon! Slot In!"

Rock Man drew the Hi Cannon on his left forearm and shot the blast at Guts Man's torso, pushing back: he hit him with the Wide Sword again and shot the Hi Cannon at close quarters.

"GATTSU~!"

He was logged out due to the damage attained and Rock Man looked surprised.

"Huh? It's already over? I thought Guts Man was harder to chew!" He exclaimed.

"No. He's a gorilla." Roll smiled.

"Is that so?" Rock Man looked surprised.

"No way!" Dekao gasped.

"Whoa. It'd seem that stuff about "motor skills" is true, then!"

"Yeah! Once you learn something which implies using parts of your body in a fixed order or sequence, you always remember it!" Hikawa commented with a smile.

"Netto! You…!" Dekao cursed.

"Dekao – kun!" Meiru snapped.

"Yikes! Sorry, Meiru – chan!" He exclaimed.

"Admit it: Netto and Rock Man are above you. Else, you won't get anywhere!" Meiru told him.

"Grfjtx!"

They all laughed aloud without noticing a dragonfly micro robot set on the ceiling and spying them.

"… Heh. Our agent is doing a very good work!"

"He sure is, Oriol – sama."

Kuroshiro and Legato were sitting on chairs next to a table in the lab-like room of the Golden Star HQ and looking at the live feed via the PC: the feed was recorded from behind and above.

"Well, well, well… Let's see how long it'll last." Kuroshiro muttered with a grin.

"Yes, sir! It'll be intriguing. By the way… Maybe Andy – kun should do another sortie to refresh their memory?" Legato suggested.

"Why not… I guess Forte will come into the picture, too. Let's see if he keeps on being slightly rusty. If things look ugly, we could deploy one of the _Guardians_ we got from _that person_." Kuroshiro seemed to agree with the idea.

"I shall warn him at once, then."

"Good. Go!"

Legato ran off while Kuroshiro giggled under his breath: he then stood up and stretched.

"Let's check on the guys."

He came out and exited into the living room.

"Video Man!"

"Yes, sir! I'm polishing my tape, sir!" Video Man confirmed.

"Good! Have it ready just in case." He commanded.

"So. That amusing strategy has begun?"

"Huh! Slur – sama!"

"I am not your superior, Kuroshiro Oriol."

"However…"

"Well. If you want to recognize my power then I do not mind it."

Slur had suddenly snuck on Kuroshiro from behind: he felt a shiver go down his spin and turned around to salute: Slur had an amused looked to her face and she then shrugged.

"It was a good idea to dispose of that fool yet Gate Man could have been useful…" She muttered.

"We could rebuild him anytime, ma'am."

"Is that so? Good. I shall leave that decision up to you."

"R-roger."

She floated away while Kuroshiro suddenly seemed to be seized by a fit of anger and hatred given his face: he looked psychotic and began to draw out his teeth as he clutched his chest: Legato came in through another door and gasped.

"Oriol – sama! The breakfast, sir!"

"… Huh? Oh yeah. Breakfast." He suddenly snapped out of it and looked absent-minded.

"Should I prepare some _rösti_?"

"No, no! Save that for the lunch." He commanded.

"I apologize, sir. I mixed them up again, sir."

"Bah. Anyone would've."

"Some bread slices with tomato and oil would do?" Legato asked.

"Yeah. I just want to have a light breakfast, as always."

"Roger, sir."

"By the way, I suddenly feel like I have a 77 second long gap in my memories. Odd, ain't it?" He brought up while frowning and rubbing his chin.

"… Yes, sir. Very odd, sir. Maybe there are some evil programs remains left there and they need to be purged, sir?" He suggested.

"Guess so… I'll have to run a deeper purge. But it must be below 1% so…"

The foghorn of a ship rang out and Kuroshiro made his way to his room to look out: a paddle ship could be seen reaching the village's port and stopping there.

"Heh. Those ships amuse me. You can't see them anywhere else: I had the experience of riding in one of those. Cool." He grinned.

"Is that so, sir? I am glad you found it entertaining, sir."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Yeah… I'll exchange places with him and when Netto – kun disposes of him along with the PET I'll swap again and he'll be disposed of instead…" He suddenly formed an evil grin.

"Oriol – sama, sir... Do you want soda to drink?"

"Huh? Soda? Well, yeah. Bring some soda, yeah."

Legato walked out but he looked rather worried.

_Oriol – sama's electronic brain still has some remains of Twilight's "fail-safes" there and his early experiences: about 1%… He needs to purge them or we'll run into trouble… Damn you Twilight! Unforgivable!_

15:15 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Netto~! Hand me that "Crest" thing!"

"I don't have it, Dekao. Duo erased them back in November. But our "Synchronism" values remain unchanged."

"Gimme a cheat code!"

"There's no cheat code for that. You need to build it up, like training a Pokémon."

"WHY, YOU~…!"

"Ahem, ahem!"

"YIKES! Me – Meiru – chan…"

The group had been sitting in the sofas inside of the tree-house when Dekao loomed over Netto and began to demand again: Netto was far from impressed and Meiru cleared her throat behind him.

"Dekao – kun. You're outdated. Ever since a LONG time ago."

"No way!"

"Hah! This ain't the 17th century, Gorilla Hybrid Man!" Yaito grinned.

"WHA~T?"

"Trouble." Hikawa grimly muttered.

"Yeah…" Netto sighed.

"I think she's overdone it." Meiru muttered.

"No wonder." Rock Man rolled his eyes.

"Uh-oh. Desu."

"Oh come on." Roll groaned.

"THE WORLD IS CRUEL TO ME~! BUA~H!"

"And this is Ayanokouji Yaito's unbeatable victory! Heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	18. Chapter 18: Violent Showdown

**Chapter 18: Violent Showdown**

16:16 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 22nd…

"… So? Can you remember this place, Saito?"

"Eh… Yeah! How couldn't I? I spent a lot of years around these areas of the Science Labs' Cyber World!"

Blues and Rock Man were walking around the Level 1 area of the Science Labs' Cyber World.

"Beware of the _Sengoku_." A voice rang out.

Shadow Man suddenly dropped in from above a ledge.

"Yo! Shadow Man! It's been a while. We last worked together back when Kurohige and Chirol messed with the "Reverse Synchro Chips" Wily came up with." Rock Man greeted.

"True. And I respect your power. You're the one who destroyed the Super Cybeast the first time around, after all. And since one thing led to the other…" Shadow Man told him.

"Good morning."

Laser Man logged in and walked over to them.

"Eh… Good morning, sir… Who might you be, sir?" Rock Man politely asked.

"Ah. We had not met. My name is Laser Man." He announced.

"Ah… Laser Man – san, then?" Rock Man assumed.

"If you want to…" Laser Man shrugged.

"… Netto. This person is Dr. Regal, from King Land. He's a super energy researcher." Dr. Hikari was telling him.

"Wow! Eh… Nice to meet you, Regal – san." Netto announced.

"I've heard about your successes, Netto – kun. Impressive." Dr. Regal told him as he patted his right shoulder.

"Eh… Thank you!" Netto thanked.

"So. The Lord's container is here, it'd seem." A voice rang out.

A sheet imitating the wall's color came off, revealing Dark Miyabi.

"Whoa! Dark Miyabi!" Netto gasped.

"I didn't see him coming in!" Dr. Hikari sounded surprised.

"I didn't, either." Enzan admitted.

"Who is he?" Dr. Regal wondered.

"Heh. I'm a _Sengoku _era _ninja_ clan descendant: heir of the Miyabi tribe."

"Interesting." Dr. Regal looked interested.

There was a sudden explosion over the Cyber World and the alarms went off.

"What!" Everyone uttered.

They Navis looked towards the west: a smoking hole had been opened in the firewall.

"Heh, heh, heh!" A familiar voice rang out.

"Damn." Blues cursed.

"He came again." Laser Man gasped.

"Coming." Shadow Man announced.

"Who…?" Rock Man wondered.

Andy walked in while looking amused.

"Andy!" Both Blues and Laser Man uttered.

"So! That's Andy." Shadow Man guessed.

"A member of Golden Star, then!" Rock Man guessed.

"… Oh… That purple guy must be Shadow Man… And that's Rock Man. What… You got bored of our VIP treatment?" Andy sounded amused.

"VIP treatment…?" Dark Miyabi wondered.

"Oh! I forgot: they gave me a lot of _manga_, _anime_, games and films to kill the time, but they always made sure none could be used to communicate with anyone." Netto recalled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hikari! If you thought you'd inflicted a heavy blow to us, think it over!" Kage announced as he opened his communications window.

"You're…!" Netto exclaimed.

"Heh! Kage Miquel! You better remember the great me's name." Kage replied.

"You guys' firewall is so crappy… It's no wonder Beast Man got inside so easily back when "Nebula" started its show!" Andy exclaimed.

"…"Nebula"…? I can't remember what it was about." Rock Man frowned.

"I can't, either." Netto added.

"Oho… Then that talk about partial amnesia was true." Kage sounded amused.

"How could you know that?" Enzan demanded.

"Our hospital insider told us: we predicted this could end up happening."

"Damn. Hospital insider…" Blues growled.

"Enough talk! Fight!" Andy told them.

"Battle Chip, Sword Figther X! Double Slot In!"

"What!" Blues gasped.

Andy drew two slightly curved red-colored indented blades and quickly shot forward, delivering twelve cuts to Blues' body and then kicking him in the lower jaw, sending him flying and crashing hard into the ground.

"You lowlife!" Shadow Man cursed.

"Heh."

"Evil Source!"

"Battle Chip, Shotgun! Slot In!"

"Star Breaker Laser!"

Shadow Man's attack set the ground around Andy on fire, limiting his movements: Rock Man aimed the Shotgun's three cursors and made them center on Andy while Laser Man aimed for the ceiling while shooting a red laser: a purple swirling rift opened and it shot down several incandescent meteors which hit Andy.

"Did that do it?" Netto wondered.

Once the triple attack had ended, Andy had gained a few bruises but looked unaffected.

"What?" They all gasped.

"I disabled my pain receptors." Andy announced.

"That's cheating!" Netto cursed.

"All's fair in war, Hikari." Kage replied.

"Eat you own motto, Kage!" Netto snapped back.

"Interesting. Then I'll add _all i oli_ to it before eating it." Kage amusedly shot back.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…" Andy chuckled.

"Battle Chip, Demon Sword! Slot In!"

A large rectangular metallic-looking sword with diamond patterns set on it showed up: it had no sharp part to it at the top of it but the edges had a saw-like pattern to it.

"Eat this!"

He swung the blade and hit Blues, kicking him into the air and triggering his emergency "Log-Out" function.

"Blues!" Rock Man gasped.

"Shadow Blade!"

Shadow Man began to move his sword in a quick manner but Andy placed the Demon Sword to protect him: however, the attacks began to slowly crack it and it broke down altogether, making Shadow Man's attack connect and deliver some cuts to Andy.

"What!" He exclaimed.

The sword suddenly regenerated itself.

"Huh? It has regeneration ability?" He wondered.

"Che." Shadow Man scoffed.

"Battle Chip, Air Hockey! Slot In!"

"Air Hockey!"

Rock Man tossed the Air Hockey at Andy and it kicked him out the spot he was standing at.

"… So! You want a showdown…" Andy muttered as he stood up.

Suddenly, though, Laser Man grabbed him from behind, turned him around and lifted him.

"Cross Laser!"

The point-blank attack hit Andy, who didn't react given how he couldn't feel pain, but did leave some noticeable wounds on his body: Andy grumbled something undecipherable.

"Damn! Battle Chip, Recovery 300! Slot In!"

Andy detached himself while looking slightly annoyed.

"Huh… Battle Chip, Thousand Kick! Slot In!"

Andy used his right foot to kick Laser Man repeatedly on several spots and pushed him back before he delivered a kick to his face and disoriented him for a moment.

"Battle Chip, Break Count Bomb! Slot In!"

A gigantic bomb easily half a meter tall appeared on the field and began counting down at a mad speed while Andy jumped away.

"Heh, heh."

The bomb went off and the brutal explosion inflicted heavy damage to Laser Man, forcing him to "Log-Out" as well.

"Phew! Only two left." He muttered.

"Hmpf. _Kage Bunshin_!"

"Battle Chip, Boomerang! Slot In!"

Andy gasped and brought up his right forearm to block of the Boomerang while Shadow Man summoned several _bunshin_ around Andy.

"Che."

"… Battle Chip, Destroy Missile! Slot In!"

"What!"

Several large missiles rained down around the field and provoked several explosions: it destroyed all of the copies and heavily damaged Shadow Man, who was panting.

"Huff… Huff…"

"Battle Chip, Muramasa Blade! Slot In!" Miyabi announced.

The Muramasa Blade shone with its purple aura: both Kage and Andy gasped in angst at it.

"Muramasa Blade!" Shadow Man roared.

The slice of energy shot hit Andy fully and kicked him into the ground, provoking more bruises to show up on his body.

"Damn."

"Battle Chip, Recovery 200! Slot In!" Kage announced.

"So? That's all? It's no sweat!" Netto grinned.

"No! He hasn't used his ultimate ability yet." Enzan warned.

"Ultimate ability…?" Rock Man gulped.

"Battle Chip, Doppel Mirror! Slot In!"

A mirror with a black frame formed in the Field and began to drain energy out of Shadow Man, who roared and fell into his knees, exhausted.

"Battle Chip, Hyper Cannon! Slot In!"

"Take this!"

The blast hit Shadow Man and forced him to "Log-Out", too.

"Hikari! Witness _true_ power!" Kage announced.

"What!" Netto gasped.

"Heh, heh, heh… Rock Man! Learn about your own powerlessness and drown into angst and despair, forever! Hah, hah, hah, hah!" Andy announced.

"Not yet! Netto! Use these!" Dr. Hikari announced.

He tossed Netto two Chips and he caught them with his left hand: he looked at them and gasped.

"T-the "Bestialize Chips"…!" He gasped.

"Use them!" Dr. Hikari told him.

"Okay! Bestialize Chip, Greiga! Slot In!"

"HUWRA~H!"

A blue-colored spiraling column of energy formed around Rock Man and shot skywards: it then faded to reveal how he'd a gained a "bestialized" form which was new armor over his normal body.

His helmet had the shape of a beast's mouth plus six triangles spreading in a formation colored golden: a symbol which looked like some kind of orange star was set on the segment of it corresponding to the helmet's forehead.

A black mouth-guard covered the nose and mouth.

The chest armor was colored in a greenish color with thin goldenrod borders and three white shapes in the form of claws placed over the shoulders: a hole in the middle of the armor allowed for the chest emblem to be displayed: there were two pieces of reddish armor built directly underneath the main one.

The forearm armor started slightly below the elbows and contained a red segment before the main piece which had two claws protruding from it and over the hands.

The feet armor started below the knee and included two goldenrod diamond-like shapes over the knees: the feet had red armor just before the fingers started, which had been turned into a set of three claws which looked sharp.

Lastly, he also had a green tail with two golden shapes built near the end of it protruding from his back.

"HRWRA~H!"

Rock Man suddenly dashed forward at a maddening speed and Andy gasped in fear.

"Battle Chip, Ancient Rejection! Slot In!"

A round blue shield with some glyphs floating around its outer rim formed and knocked Beast Out Rock Man back.

"Secret Form: Engage!"

"Damn!" Enzan cursed.

The "cocoon" formed around him and all lighting dimmed as the sound of the amplified heartbeats rang out.

"W-what?" Netto was pale by now.

"W-what power…!"

"Get ready!"

The "cocoon" exploded like in the previous time around but Rock Man managed to hold his ground: he did gasp once he spotted the "Ryuusei Form" Andy standing in front of him.

"Ryuusei Form!"

"Ryuusei Form, you say!" Netto exclaimed.

"Heh." Kage grinned.

"Let's go!" Andy exclaimed.

"Black End…!"

"Greiga Claw!"

Suddenly, though, Rock Man jumped on top of Andy and began to slash at him with the Greiga Claw (the claws built over his forearms), catching him unaware and stopping the building up of his attack.

"Grah! Get lost!" Andy growled.

He moved position, and, when Rock Man tried to hit him again, he collided with the Ancient Rejection and was pushed back.

"This barrier regenerates each time I move! Black End Galaxy!"

Andy unleashed the dreaded attack on Rock Man and the brutal explosion ensued: however, Rock Man still standing in another spot after it and Andy had three _shuriken_ on his back.

"_Kawarimi_!" Kage cursed.

"Heh, heh! Bestialize Chip, Falzer! Slot In!"

"HUWRA~H!"

The column of energy formed again but this time it was colored in a reddish/pinkish color.

This alternate "Bestialize" form had a helmet with a golden edge and a red shape aiming backwards and upwards protruding from it: a greenish jewel in the form of a bird was set on the forehead as well.

The face was partly hidden by the mouth-guard yet the eyes displayed thar Rock Man was conscious of what he was doing.

The upper part of the chest armor had a brownish/grayish color plus a red stripe just underneath the blackened chest emblem: it looked like a bird's torso, even.

The forearms had red armor with a grayish/brownish edge around the wrists plus a small triangle-like piece near the start of it: the hands had become finger-claws colored white.

The boots had a greenish/azure diamond set over the knees and a general conical shape with three large metallic claws instead of the usual feet fingers.

Two sets of wings of four each one colored red with an azure edge emerged from the back of the body and seemingly allowed for Rock Man to fly.

"Falzer Claw!"

He plunged his claw fingers around Andy's chest emblem, but he shook him off and stepped back.

"Red Gaia Eraser!"

"Battle Chip, Ojiouzan! Slot In!"

The small statue appeared on the Field and the Red Gaia Eraser hit it: lighting fell down from above and hit Andy, who was unaffected: however, his attack had no result and he fell into the ground, panting and looking tired: Rock Man also fell into the ground but kept his Falzer form engaged nevertheless.

"Damn! We just need one more attack to win! And I don't have any powerful Chips!" Netto cursed.

"Netto! Borrow Blues' power! Beast Cross!" Enzan told him.

"Oh! Yeah! _Thank you_, Enzan!"

"Don't mind it! Go!"

Netto used his Link PET's touch pen to link both of them and Rock Man roared as he gained green transparent shades, swords on both hands and a string of hair similar to Blues' coming out from behind his helmet: everyone gasped.

"Falzer Blues Cross!" Netto announced.

"No way!" Kage uttered.

"Damn. Use that Chip!" Andy called out.

"But…!" Kage argued.

"If we can't win at least we'll make sure that guy doesn't win, too!" Andy told him.

"Che! Battle Chip, Darkness Hole! Slot In!"

A purple swirling vortex with an evil "face" on it appeared and began to suck out energy from both combatants, who roared: Andy's Ryuusei Form faded away and so did Rock Man's Beast Cross.

"Ua~h!"

The hole closed and both collapsed face-down into the ground, out of energies.

"Andy – kun!"

Legato suddenly rushed into the area and grabbed him to help him stand up.

"Legato!" Rock Man cursed.

"Che! Rock Man! I've got no time to deal with you lowlife!" He growled.

"Going somewhere?" A voice asked.

Legato and Andy gasped and spotted Forte standing behind them and blocking the way out.

"_Noir_ – sama!" Legato called out.

"Come! Crimson Dragon!" _Noir_ commanded.

"What?" Everyone wondered.

"GROA~R!"

There was a large roar as a purple circle formed on the ground and a beast came out of its depths.

This beast looked like a dragon with two pallid blue wings, a crimson or pinkish body, a large black neck with a blue-eyed head and a crimson core-like sphere on its body.

The dragon also possessed two large claw arms which were resting on the solid ground outside of the circle which seemed to be some kind of dimensional gateway.

"Heh! Forte! Weren't you wishing to find an opponent worth your time? Here you have: enjoy!" _Noir_ announced.

The beast roared and began to swing his claws up and down and left and right while Forte tried to dodge.

"Huh!"

Legato used the distraction to rush out with the unconscious Andy in tow and jump inside of the VPN tunnel, which then closed.

"Shit." Forte cursed.

"Ugh… I'm… exhausted…" Rock Man muttered.

"Plug Out!" Netto commanded.

The dragon roared and its head seemed to distort only to reveal a black-colored one with red eyes: the sphere turned yellowish and charged up a blast of energy which shot forward and swept the floor with everything standing on it included.

"UA~H!"

The dragon roared and then sunk into the purple vortex before it closed up: everyone looked terrorized

"What… power…!"

10:02 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… What were you thinking about, niisan! Why did you have me drain out your HP just to stop the lookalike from winning?"

"… I'm not… sure…"

Kage was discussing with Andy, who was lying on their joint bed and looked exhausted.

"What was the point of it? You wanted to make them believe Hikari Netto wouldn't go to such ends?"

Andy taken out the helmet and let his silver hair loose while Kage had pocketed the sunglasses and looked annoyed.

"Guess so…" Andy replied.

"Please don't make me do such a thing again! It was hard enough for me to do it!" Kage told him while sounding exasperated.

"… I won't… but… I'm now glad I disabled the pain receptors… it made things easier…" Andy muttered.

"… Okay. Do as you like, but remember… This has to serve for us to build up experience for the future."

"Uh-huh… Yeah… Sorry for that, otouto… Guess I tried to act the prideful guy who prefers a draw to a defeat…" Andy told him.

"Look… To lose or to win doesn't matter! The point of it is to make us stronger!" Kage insisted.

"Yeah. Guess I got arrogant there."

"Then have a rest and shake it off: I'm going to play _Emerald_ and see if I can get the Golden Knowledge Symbol from the Battle Factory this time around: it's the only one we're still missing."

"Yeah… Sorry, otouto… Hum… Huh…"

_Saito – niisan… Don't get weird! I don't want you to get arrogant! We're brothers! And we'll fight fair and square! My word!_


	19. Chapter 19: Suspicious behavior

**Chapter 19: Suspicious behavior**

13:13 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday July the 27th…

"… Heh, heh, heh!"

Netto was walking down the streets and stopped in front of Maha Ichiban's: he stepped inside.

"Good morning!"

"Welcome!"

Netto picked his usual seat in one of the stools.

"A Maha Special!"

"Roger!"

Maha headed into the kitchen while Netto drank some water: the door opened and Dingo walked in.

"Yo! Dingo! What's up?" He greeted.

"JEEZ! I'm cursed! I ended up breaking a window with the tomahawk and had to run for my hide…!" Dingo grumbled.

"That's why I tell ya not to count on it!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"Gimme a break…!" Dingo exclaimed.

"That motto won't work anymore." T omahawk Man insisted.

"Heh, heh, heh… It'd seem Totem – sama is not guiding you, oh young one." Dr. Wily commented with obvious sarcasm.

"Dr. Wily! Quit it already!" Dingo groaned.

"Chut! Dingo! Behave!" Hinoken scolded.

"Hinoken…" Dingo looked skeptical.

"I see the atmosphere keeps on being the usual one!"

"So they say." Wily replied.

"Huh? What?" Netto frowned.

"Heh, heh, heh… Nothing." Wily sounded amused.

"Huh… Is that so?"

"The Maha Special!" Maha announced as he deposited it on the counter.

"Whoa! I missed this one! _Itadakimasu_!"

Netto began to eat the curry but Wily seemed to be glancing at him from time to time: he looked somewhat unsettled.

"Wily – sama? Is something bothering you?" Maha asked as he walked over to next to his table.

"… Nothing. I'd need some more water." Wily replied.

"Yes, sir. Please wait a moment."

"… Say, Tomahawk Man! How did you get along with Search Man during your Beyondard adventure?" Rock Man asked him.

"He was somewhat stiff, but he was bearable." Tomahawk Man replied.

"Oh! Speaking of Beyondard… What happened to Kurohige and Chirol after that incident with the "Reverse Synchro Chips"? I seem to have a blurry memory of that too." Netto brought up.

"Hmmm? Oh! Those two idiots… I had them work in an aquarium and feeding the sea lions." Wily chuckled.

"An aquarium…? That's one place I wouldn't like to go to. It'd put out my passionate flames." Hinoken commented.

"Flames… It makes me think of that Flame Man guy." Netto admitted with a curious face.

"Hah! It sure was a cheap imitator. No – one can rival Fire Man's true hellish fires!"

"Your aunt does." Madoi told him.

"What!"

"Hinoken has an aunt?" Rock Man wondered.

"… I doubt it." Fire Man muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh! Ya never know!" Colored Man teased.

"I don't see the point of it." Magic Man added.

"I guess that that Demon King guy had a lot of flames to him!" Dingo guessed.

"Demon King…? Sorry. I don't remember. Who do you mean?" Netto asked Dingo.

"Oh! True… You have partial amnesia… Eh… As far as I know, that of "Demon King" was somewhat of an exaggeration by that Twilight guy… You know! We fought him in the battle to defend the "Time Space Tower" in November!" Dingo told him.

"I remember that "Time Space Tower" and the battle, but… Are you sure there was such a guy there? Or was I knocked out before it showed up?"

Wily seemed to be picked by something in the conversation and he looked suspicious.

"… Phew! The Maha Special was as good as always… Maha! How much is it?" Netto smiled.

"250 credits."

"Okay! Rock Man! Take care of the payment."

"Roger, Netto – kun."

"Ah! Regarding your question… There was such a guy and he seemed to have some special relation with you and Rock Man… He tended to call you two "half-brothers"." Dingo told Netto.

"Maybe he was senile." Netto grinned.

"No way! He wasn't even on his mid twenties." Dingo replied.

"Oh? I thought we were talking about someone like Dr. Wily…"

"Payment: completed!" Rock Man announced.

"Then… I'll be going home. See you around!"

Netto then exited the restaurant but Wily looked unsettled with something.

"Hrum."

"… Miyabi… What's the point of this?"

"… I guess I'm being over-protective."

"… What… You expect those guys to try to catch him again?"

"More or less…"

Miyabi was stalking Netto while Shadow Man didn't seem to see the point of the act.

"… Miyabi." A voice called out.

Miyabi looked behind him and spotted Yuriko.

"Yuriko."

"Something feels out of place." She guessed.

"Yeah. Dr. Wily just told me something curious: he can remember the "Time Space Tower" but not Twilight's involvement on it." Miyabi told her.

"Hmmm… Twilight… Everything about "Nebula" and Twilight… I mean… I can understand the memories about "Nebula" being damaged. But if he remembers the Duo Crisis, then why wouldn't he remember Twilight's resurgence? What's more: he doesn't remember as recently as two months ago. This reeks." Yuriko argued.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Yuriko! Are ya sayin' he's _acting up_?" Needle Man asked.

"… It would fit." Shadow Man muttered.

"But… He _is_ Hikari Netto: the hospital double-checked by picking a blood sample and comparing to the database…" Miyabi argued.

"Wait a min. Twilight. Ijuuin told me about his true colors." Yuriko suddenly remembered.

"His true colors…?" Miyabi frowned.

"… Listen."

She whispered something into Miyabi's right ear and he looked surprised, for once.

"What did you say?" Miyabi gasped.

"I'm serious." Yuriko replied.

"… Then… How could we prove it?" Miyabi asked.

"… I've got a hunch." Yuriko admitted.

"… Okay. Work on it. I'll survey him. I can always make it look like I'm being over-protective." Miyabi nodded in agreement.

"Understood. I'll contact you when I seize something."

Yuriko turned around and stepped away while Miyabi jumped into a nearby rooftop.

"… So… That's how it is." He muttered.

"… So, Laika… Have you made any progress?"

"It ain't King Land or Spain."

"Two countries ruled out, then."

Enzan was speaking with Laika via his Link PET.

"I guess you must be calmer by now: Netto's back."

"Yeah. And now I can focus. But…" Laika trailed off.

"But?"

"… That voice traffic… I know I chose the router out of randomness, but, even so… I get the feeling like they _wanted_ me to intercept it." Laika told him.

"… In fact… Miyabi just contact me too. Something's going on under the surface, it'd seem." Enzan admitted.

"Wait. Didn't he find Slur in the Net Police HQ by sabotaging the dragonfly micro robot? Wasn't there a man who used them?" Laika brought up.

"K. S., you mean? Hey! Now that I think about it… He hasn't shown his hide around as of yet and hasn't let out any hints at all… Wait! Could it be…?" Enzan gasped.

"… He's behind this, you mean to say?" Laika realized.

"… Yeah. He was Twilight's Cousin: just because he didn't like Twilight's style, that doesn't mean he's a "good" guy per se. He could've simply waited until this moment." Enzan suggested.

"… It makes sense, Enzan – sama." Blues commented.

"But… How could we ascertain if Miyabi's suspicion is true?" Search Man asked.

Enzan's PET beeped.

"Enzan – sama: mail. From Yuriko." Blues reported.

"Open it!"

"Roger."

"Let's see… "I need your help. I suspect that Netto isn't Netto and I have seized an important piece of evidence towards that fact. Can you think of something which could be used as double-edged question?" … Hmmm… Double-edged question…" Enzan muttered after reading the contents.

"… Wait. Maybe something regarding Twilight?" Laika suggested.

"… Yeah. I've just gotten an idea. Laika! Keep up the search and try Italy's northern region next." Enzan told him.

"… Golden Star… They fooled us in such a way…" Laika grumbled.

"Yeah. But we'll know show them how their setup has been discovered and unmasked."

07:57 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Let's begin."

Legato was playing S&M with Andy while inside of the shower: Andy was sitting on his knees and was using his nose to smell Legato's cock while rubbing it.

"You want to have a taste of it, Andy – kun?" Legato invited.

Andy nodded to confirm, so Legato took out the plastic spheroid: Andy pulled the foreskin back and began to take it inside of his mouth: Legato closed his right hand behind Andy's head.

"I'm going to set the pace."

He began moving Andy's head to set the pace as he licked and sucked more and more of Legato's cock until he reached the base of it.

"Yeah… Like that!"

Legato increased the pace until he released and overfilled Andy's mouth with his white liquid.

"Good!"

He pulled Andy's head out of it and tugged a metallic chain attached to the ring Andy had on his neck, thus pulling him up into standing position.

"Let's play a bit."

He softly grabbed his lower jaw and inclined his head towards him as he kissed him and shared the white stuff.

"Hmmm… Enough."

They then separated and Legato observed the string of saliva connecting them.

"Lovely. Heh, heh, heh, heh."

He replaced the spheroid and then descended on his knees to toy with Andy's balls.

"How's this like?"

He gripped them hard and observed how Andy didn't seem to feel it all to begin with.

_True… He's becoming an excellent masochist! He likes the game!_

He then began to suck and lick Andy's cock while he kept on toying with his balls: Andy soon released and filled Legato's mouth.

_Let's keep on… We'll play a lot today. Each day counts! Heh, heh, heh!_

He stood up and picked a 5cm black vibrator from a shelf: he used some of Andy's cum to lubricate it before he forced it up Andy's insides: he seemed to have been waiting for it.

"I'm going to put the plug on you, Andy – kun." Legato announced with a grin on his face.

Andy nodded in agreement, so Legato picked a white plug and forced it inside of his urethra to plug it: Legato then forced his own cock inside of Andy as well: he looked eager.

"Let's begin!"

Legato began to pull out and push in of Andy's insides while toying with the clothes pegs on his nipples.

"Yeah… I'm going out!"

Legato soon released and overfilled his toy-boy's insides with the white liquid: he let it slide down his cock before replacing the bodysuit segment to cover it.

"Okay. Do you wish to go for it, Andy – kun?" Legato asked.

Andy quickly nodded in agreement, so Legato picked the vibrator's remote and turned it on to minimum speed: a low buzz – like sound began to sound and Andy began to vibrate.

_I'm going to tease him by slowly increasing the speed… He'll love it! Heh, heh, heh, heh! He's got so much _sex appeal_!_ Legato thought with a grin.

He waited two minutes and saw how Andy's cock was slowly turning hard, so he then switched to medium speed: the buzz – like sound increased in volume and Andy began to move a bit as his cock gained more hardness and became rigid.

_Heh. Let's go for it. He must want to feel the real stuff and not meek stuff._

Legato finally set it to maximum and the buzz – like sound became loud enough: Andy's cock was fully hard by now and it was shaking left and right: he looked like he was trying to hold on.

"… Well, well, well… I'm going to unplug you, Andy – kun. Welcome to the white world." Legato softly announced.

He removed the plug and Andy's cock went off: it stained all of his upper body and face as he arched his body back in ecstasy: he then hung his head down and looked exhausted.

"Good job, my cute _partner_…"

Legato slowly turned off the vibrator before taking it out.

"Let's wash you."

He turned on the shower and washed Andy's body clean while he applied the hair shampoo and body lotion.

"_Let the bodies hit the floor_…" He sang.

Once he was done, he picked him bridal style and sat him down on a stool: he removed the clothes pegs, unlocked his wrists and took out both the black wool blindfold and the plastic spheroid.

"So?"

Andy's red and golden eyes looked dimmed and he was obviously "absent" given how he didn't move at all.

_Oh? Maybe I overdid it?_ Legato worriedly thought.

"… Huh… Andy – kun? Hello?" He called out.

He shook his body but he didn't seem to react.

"… Scramble alert!"

Andy suddenly snapped out of it and gasped while looking around in a confused manner.

"Huh? Huh? What? What's going on? Where's the intruder?" He asked in a rush.

"… Are you okay?" Legato asked.

"Oh! Legato… Huh… Sorry… I guess I… was trying to hang out… for too long… in the white world…" Andy slowly replied.

"I think I overdid it. I'll be gentler next time." Legato admitted.

"… But I really like the game, mind you… Please… Let's play it again on the days to come…" Andy told him.

"If you wish to… I'll do anything to keep you happy, Andy – kun."

"Oh… Legato… I could never find a better lover than you." Andy told him while forming an eager smile.

Andy suddenly stood up and pulled Legato's lips towards him, kissing him: Legato quickly did the same thing and they begun to share a passionate kiss.

_Heh, heh, heh… I'm a genius!_ _And this will help Oriol – sama too… _

"Well. Guess I shouldn't try to abuse of my body either."

"Don't worry, Andy – kun… You're strong."

"Yeah. I'm strong. But that's thanks to you, Legato."

"Oh please! It's thanks to your bonds." Legato blushed.

"Heh, heh, heh. You don't want to get all the credit, eh?"

"You've read me…" He admitted with a sigh.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. I'm the Mind – Reading Man!"

"Sure, sure. My cute boy."

07:57 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Man. Can't we do anything else except VR simulations?"

"Yeah… I'm getting fed up with them."

Zarashe and Beta X were talking after they'd finished some simulations with their laptop.

"Maybe there is a something." A familiar voice announced.

Beta X gasped and turned around to see Slur floating inside of the Cyber World and looking amused.

"Ma'am! Please grant me an order." Beta X requested while bowing.

"You shall go to the Hokkaido VPN Router we use: we shall need to pass through there and you must make sure to erase the logs of it after we return through there." Slur commanded.

"Roger, ma'am!" He acknowledged.

"And… If an enemy were to appear, you have permission to fight them. We shall grant you a weapon capable of shutting down their systems so as to have time to flee as well through another router." Slur listed.

"Finally! Some nice action." Zarashe muttered with a hint of eagerness and rubbing his hands.

"That is all. Be ready." Slur commanded.

"Yes, ma'am!" Beta X confirmed.

Slur made her classical smile before she flew elsewhere.

"By the way, Beta! Sky a skiing sky?"

"Jeez. That sounds too artificial! It doesn't flow."

"Flowing flows of flowers?" Zarashe tried next.

"Well… Could work…" Beta X muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh! I'm a genius, yeah!"


	20. Chapter 20: Tearing the veil

**Chapter 20: Tearing the veil**

14:55 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 28th…

"… Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon."

Netto stepped into the Net Police HQ's meeting room: Kifune, Manabe, Yuriko and Enzan were present: Netto calmly assumed his spot on the right edge of the circular table and leaned the chair backwards a bit.

"Well… Let's begin with an update on the situation: we now have a hunch regarding the identity of "President Hades"." Enzan began.

"Is that so?" Commissioner Kifune asked.

"Yeah. We believe it to be the enigmatic man known as "K. S."… Twilight's Cousin." Yuriko announced.

"… Oh! The dragonfly micro robots were his specialty, so… It'd make sense!" Superintendent Manabe realized.

"I guess you're always the detective-like guy, Enzan! You were the guy who found who found out what Sunayama was after." Netto told him with a smile.

"By the way… Netto. Can you remember your first spotting of "K. S."? When was it?" Enzan asked.

"Hum… I know who you mean: that man with the notebook… I saw him on that day you were dealing with "Asteroid" Drill Man overseas, parked on a car next to the house, but when I came out into the balcony, he drove away and I couldn't see the registration plates…"

"Can't you remember another time, Rock Man?" Blues asked.

"Eh… Not really… I guess he was using those micro robots a lot."

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Yuriko spotted the guy that day when she came to the Game Soul Game Center… Ya know: after I was ordered to intercept the Net Police ambush, back on February, 2005…" Needle Man admitted.

"Is that so…" Netto looked intrigued.

"But… Really! Twilight was somewhat crazy! Wasn't he? I mean… He went around claiming he existed thanks to having been granted part of your genes… That's sci-fi! I guess he wanted to believe himself to be omnipotent and all." Yuriko brought up in an amused tone.

"That's not it! Because, I too…!"

He suddenly trailed off and looked filled with angst: Rock Man gasped and seemed to have realized they'd stepped into a trap.

"… Huh? What's going on?" Manabe asked.

"… Weren't you going to say that you thought it was a crazy thing to say as well, Netto – kun?" Kifune asked.

"Nope. Please remember. He said "that's not it! Because, I too…" … He was _denying_ the accusation of Twilight being crazy. But! There's something. How could he know if he was really crazy or not just by this if he can't _supposedly_ remember anything about him?" Enzan brought up while making a sinister smile.

"Yeah. And the "I, too…" … He means to say that Twilight's claim was true: he's sitting there because of the same reason." Blues added.

"What?" Kifune and Manabe gasped.

"In short: you're a genetically engineered human A. K. A. a clone as in _Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones_." Yuriko summed.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! So! Stepped into the trap, didn't cha… Copy Rock Man!" Needle Man told him.

"… Damn." The imposter muttered in a different tone of voice.

"To think they trapped us like this…!" "Copy" Rock Man hissed in a different tone of voice as well.

"_Game Over_." Enzan announced.

"Wait a minute! Enzan – kun! Where's the proof?" Kifune asked.

"Oh. True, true… Proof. Laika brought it up: he chose the VPN router for Search Man to investigate at _random_. Yet, even at _random_, he could intercept the communication between Legato and the tanker. That was too much of a coincidence." Enzan began.

"Secondly… The explosion's timing… Enzan – sama was just being told where it was at. But what if Enzan – sama hadn't been there? What if the guard hadn't been there? Would have he really made it out alive?" Blues brought up.

"In short: they knew Ijuuin was there and timed the explosion perfectly enough. Obviously enough, since the "Zoanoroids" were expendable, they weren't told anything. But I'm sure they'd timed it perfectly enough. In fact… The reason the PET got damaged must've been to hide live feed from another dragonfly: this one knew Ijuuin was close by and that he would come to his "rescue"…" Yuriko continued.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! What's more: we spoke with another member of the operating team and they claimed that the wound was superficial: nothing had ever damaged his brain! We tried to search for that medic who made the diagnosis: he was nowhere to be found! Shah, shah, shah, shah!" Needle Man concluded.

"To sum it up… Laika was being monitored. They timed the transmission so that Search Man would pick it up. Driven by excitement, we wouldn't think it twice. Legato's insistence towards Flame Man was to reinforce the idea that it was pure coincidence. They already had the fake medic get into the night shift which was when this guy would be brought up. He'd make a nice report, sign it, and no – one would doubt it: a real medic went by it and then prepared the questions according to Hikari – hakase's instructions."

"And it could've worked, were it not for that insistence to censor anything about Twilight: it couldn't be that he couldn't remember something which happened as recently as May." Blues wrapped up.

"So! Will you admit defeat? Imposter?" Yuriko challenged with a smug smile on her face.

The imposter had been looking at the ground and seemingly trying to find a way out.

"… Damn." He muttered.

"Where's the _real_ and _original_ Hikari Netto at?" Enzan questioned.

"… Kage told you guys: at the basement!" The imposter growled.

"And where's that basement at?" Blues demanded.

"Dunno! All the rooms were windowless. We were then moved into the tanker." "Copy" Rock Man growled.

"… Something tells me they weren't taking any risks." Yuriko guessed.

"In any case… Commissioner. I think this enough proof to detain him under the charges of impersonation and identity theft." Enzan told him.

"Not so fast." A voice announced.

Legato suddenly became visible, standing behind them.

"Legato!" They all gasped.

"Did you really think we're idiots, Enzan?" Legato questioned.

"Che!" Enzan cursed.

"You lowlife…!" Blues hissed.

"True, true. That's your motto." Legato replied.

"You followed me." The imposter guessed.

"_Noir_ – sama's orders." He replied.

"Whatever. Let's get outta here." "Copy" Rock Man told him.

"Che!" Yuriko cursed.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Fight like a man!" Needle Man challenged.

"Hmpf! I'll do so if you can beat Crimson Dragon." Legato challenged back.

"… Hmpf. I'm Ivan. Remember it." The imposter announced.

"And I'm Sergei. You'd be better off remembering it." "Copy" Rock Man announced.

The purple-colored swirling rift formed behind them and both of them quickly stepped inside while Legato aimed his cannon at the table.

"Don't move." He commanded.

He then chuckled under his breath as he stepped into the rift and it closed immediately afterwards.

"… T-then…! Twilight's claims were true…!" Commissioner Kifune gasped.

"What a thing…!" Superintendent Manabe gasped.

"Che. We should've expected this."

"Enzan – sama! Please send me to the nearest VPN server: that jerk must've come through there before materializing!" Blues requested.

"Yuriko! Let's hurry it up!" Needle Man rallied.

"Okay!"

"Plug In!"

"Blues!"

"Needle Man!"

"TRANSMISISON!"

Both Navis entered the Net Police HQ's Cyber World and found something waiting for them: a platoon of Galleon units plus two Harrier 2 Jets and M1 Tanks.

"Damn." Blues cursed.

"Shit." Needle Man hissed.

"Can't be helped… We'll have to beat them one after the other!" Enzan grumbled.

"Battle Chip, Mega Energy Bomb! Slot In!"

Needle Man threw the bomb at the middle of the formation and easily blew up a large bunch of them into smithereens.

"Battle Chip, Neo Variable Sword! Slot In!"

"Sonic Boom!"

The attack cut through another group of enemies.

"Battle Chip, Magma Seed! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Tornado! Slot In!"

Needle Man jumped into the air just at the two tanks bombarded the terrain with shell fire and then threw the Magma Seed at the ground: it turned into a pool of lava and the tanks sunk into it.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

They soon became hot and their ammunition deposits went off, blowing them up into bits and bytes.

"Hra~h!"

Blues created a tornado and dodged the missiles and machinegun fire of the Harrier 2 Planes before he jumped on top of one of them: he plunged the sword into its engine before jumping and doing the same thing with the second one.

"Eat this!"

Both planes crashed into the ground and blew up as well: Blues and Needle Man ran on ahead.

"Che! We've lost a lot of time. Go!" Enzan grumbled.

"Hurry it up!" Yuriko added.

"Roger, Enzan – sama!"

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Let's hurry it up!" Needle Man rallied.

"And I guess we're going to have to confront that "Crimson Dragon" beast again." Superintendent Manabe muttered.

08:11 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Congratulations. You did a good job."

"Guess so… We kind of gave ourselves away, though!"

Kuroshiro was speaking with Ivan while standing inside of the lab-like room in the Golden Star HQ.

"So? What are we gonna do?" Sergei asked.

"We've foreseen this. Ivan – kun: you're going to undergo a genetic change and become a new person, physically speaking." Kuroshiro told him with a smile.

"Good. I wouldn't like to have to be a mere imitator forever." Ivan sounded satisfied.

"I'll take care of Sergei – kun over here." Legato announced.

"You'd be better off not getting any funny ideas." Sergei warned.

"Don't worry: I know my place." Legato replied.

"Good. Then let's move out."

Sergei exited the Link PET along with Legato and entered the Navi diagnostics/repair machine.

"I'm going to boot up the program to make the necessary changes to your coding. I'll keep your power levels as they are: normal Saito – kun will have a hard time matching them." Legato announced.

"Heh. Interesting. Let's start, then." Sergei looked amused.

He shut down his consciousness file while Legato began to work with the machine and engaged the analysis rings.

"… Okay. I'm ready."

"Good."

Ivan had put on what looked like a semi-dry wetsuit which covered the feet and head as well as the rest of his body.

"You know your place."

He signaled the open cylinder and Ivan headed for it without looking surprised at all.

"Yeah. That's the place where I was born at." Ivan calmly replied.

He climbed up the three steps and leaned his body against the column while assuming a firm posture: he made the "thumbs up" sign and Kuroshiro closed the restrains: he then placed the helmet on his head while making sure that it was properly set.

"Good. Let's continue."

He then placed the oxygen mask on the space left and secured it: some thin wires with a sensor at their end appeared and attached to the wetsuit.

"Okay… Can you breathe normally?"

Ivan merely nodded with the heat.

"Good. I'm going to close this and fill it up. You'll be in cold sleep before it totally fills up. Sweet dreams."

He closed the cylinder's glass walls and made sure they were properly sealed: he then pulled down black curtains to hide the contents before he stepped down and began to work with the laptop.

"Fill up."

There was the noise of a liquid flowing down a pipe and then a graph displaying the cylinder's volume showed up onscreen.

"Good."

Kuroshiro watched it totally fill and then switched over to life-support graphics: they were slow but stable.

"… Good. Let's start."

He picked a chair, sat down on it, and began to type into the PC while humming a tune.

08:22 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… So? What do you think of this strategy? Otouto?"

"Cool, Andy – niisan."

"Hey. That rhymes."

"Thanks!"

Kage and Andy were talking inside of their room after Andy had been working on something using the laptop.

"Even if Forte shows up, it won't pose much of a problem. We can stall for time until the next out of three is deployed." Andy announced.

"Heh, heh, heh… We're gonna show 'em how terrific we can be. It's about time we god damned serious."

"Yup. It was about time we invented new battle forms." Andy sounded amused.

"But don't make use that bloody thing again. Deal?"

"Deal."

"By the way! Showdown! The jerk of the village will crash the car into the jerk of the town while claxon-singing the _Pocket Monsters_ theme! How's that?" Kage suddenly made up a silly song on the spot.

"Heh! My turn! The hammer of hammering hammers will hammer a hammering hammer of hammers!"

"Too many "hammers"…" Kage objected.

"Hum… The King of the Mountain will drop into Hell to meet the King of the Underground and enjoy a meal of _carbonara_ _udon_."

"_Carbonara udon_! That's a good one! We should tell Dekao to make them up and see what Maha says about them!" Kage laughed.

"Terrific, ain't it?"

"Hah, hah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah…! _Carbonara udon_…!"

09:33 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… Flush."

Kuroshiro inputted some commands and the cylinder slowly emptied until it was dry: he then removed the curtains to reveal the interior of the cylinder.

"It'd seem all went smoothly!"

His next step was to unseal it and open it up to step inside and disconnect Ivan's sensor wires, unlock the restrains, and removed the helmet along with the oxygen mask.

"Let's see… Wow!"

Ivan's facial features had slightly changed but he kept on having a slight reminiscence to Netto if one bothered to look close enough or compare them.

"_Perfect_."

Kuroshiro gently helped him walk down the steps and sit him down on a chair before he picked a golden and silver Link PET with a new emblem: it was a bow arrow pointing towards the north-east colored silver.

"Hum… Hmmm… It's over…?" Ivan muttered.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes before he slowly opened them: they'd become crimson red.

"Heh. I feel stronger."

He then removed the section of the semi-dry swimsuit covering his head: his hair was now colored jet black but kept on being as messy as Netto's original hair.

"Yup! Have a look." Kuroshiro invited.

He handed him a portable mirror and Ivan calmly looked at his new appearance.

"Heh. I look like a _manga_ villain." He commented.

"You sure do. _Lil bro._" An amused voice rang out.

Sergei projected out of the Link PET.

His helmet's forehead had the _gin_ Kanji set on it and colored golden while some silver-colored hair could be seen coming from behind the helmet.

He had three parallel thin vertical silver lines travelling down his body from the neck and shoulders to the hips.

His bodysuit had become black with purple forearms and boots with some silver-colored DNA-like patterns set on them and his new emblem was the silver-colored bow arrow.

"Whoa! Sergei. You sure got a big revamping. _Big bro._" Ivan replied.

"I guess we're gonna use these nicknames in each other. It sounds intriguing." Sergei guessed.

"Now… Regarding your role… You'll become our inheritors." Kuroshiro announced.

"Good. We'll give you access to resources and some of Twilight's proxy accounts. You will continue what we've begun in case we were to be defeated and destroyed. We'll leave an imprint in the world very hard to shake off and also make sure to keep the Net Police busy: we want to see how far they can come." Legato explained next.

"… Excellent. I'll cover the world in terror and fear!"

"The Chaos Age is just beginning!" Sergei added.

"Heh, heh, heh. Sure, sure. Just don't do overdo it and blow up the world, will you guys?" Kuroshiro shrugged.

"Calm down, _Danna_… We'll be careful not to."

"And try not to make smithereens of the Cyber World either."

"We won't, _Boss_… That wouldn't suit us."

"Well then! Come! Net Police! And meet defeat! If not… Our inheritors will pick up where we leave off! Heh, heh, heh, heh…!"


	21. Chapter 21: Aerial War

**Chapter 21: Aerial War**

16:36 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 28th…

"… Damn! I knew it!"

"Shah, shah, shah! Shit!"

"GROA~H!"

Blues and Needle Man were inside of VPN router's bowels and were trying to hold their ground against Crimson Dragon.

"That is punishment for getting in the way." Slur announced as she hovered some meters above the area.

"You lowlife!" Blues hissed.

"What an arrogant manly word… It is obvious that men must learn that they are not the owners of the world anymore." Slur coldly replied.

"I'm not here to discuss society matters!" Blues growled.

He barely dodged the right claw of the beast as it slammed the floor and left a dent on it.

"Farewell."

She entered her classical purple vortex and vanished inside of it.

"Hell's Buster!"

Some shots rained down above the red head, distracting it and making it look like towards a platform labeled "LINE VTY 1": Forte was standing there and aiming his weapon at the monster.

"Forte! Good! Try to distract it and we'll hit the core!" Blues told him.

"Okay!"

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Needle Cannon!"

Needle Man shot needles at some missiles the beast materialized: they managed to intercept them.

"GROA~H!"

The beast formed the second head and began to swing the claws left, right while exposing its core.

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Slot In!"

"Dream Sword!"

The Program Advance shot by Blues hit the core and the beast roared in agony: it then opened its heads' mouths and shot out what looked like corrupted data towards both Navis.

"Dodge!"

They jumped out of the way and aimed their weapons at the beast while it was distracted.

"Program Advance!"

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Program Advance!"

"Vulcan, Triple Slot In!"

"Mugen Vulcan!"

The powerful machinegun's rounds hit the enemy on its core again and it recoiled.

"Darkness Overload!"

Forte attacked it as well and the beast let out a rather grave roar as if to indicate the degree of attained damage.

"Good! It's taking it a lot of damage! Keep it like this!" Forte exclaimed.

"Blues! We're gonna risk another Program Advance!"

"Please go ahead, Enzan – sama!"

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Fire, Aqua, Elec, Bamboo Sword!"

"Elemental Sword!"

The third consecutive Program Advance hit the beast and part of its data began to break down while its core shrunk in size and the second head was deleted it along with the right wing and the right claw.

"It's losing power! Needle Man!" Yuriko exclaimed.

"Roger!"

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

The fourth Program Advance did a lot of damage, given how the remaining head, wing and claw were deleted: the core was very small by now and pulsating in a quick manner.

"Okay! The final blow! Earth…!"

The beast suddenly leant its body forward and shot the brutal beam of energy forward, hitting the three of them: they were kicked back by it and got several bruises, but were able to stand up soon enough.

"It's lost body mass: it can't be as powerful as last time around! Earth Breaker!" Forte exclaimed.

He rushed forward and hit the core with his right fist: the whole beast seemed to turn into stone only for the core to explode while the rest of the body broke down into data.

"… Is it my imagination or was that programming method somewhat… old-fashioned?" Blues suddenly wondered.

"Did it?" Forte asked.

"Yeah. I remember some of Father's experimental programs suffering the same symptoms back when they drew energy of a power core… He never found a way to keep them stable enough: the core ended up shrinking upon being fed energy and detonating like a star." Yuriko admitted with some surprise.

"… Then… Maybe they used your father's former designs to create this thing?" Enzan wondered.

"I dunno, too, but one thing is clear: this ain't over." A voice rang out.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Another voice chuckled.

They gasped and looked up: both Andy and Beta X were standing in the platform labeled "LINE CONSOLE 0".

"You lowlifes! You fooled us!" Blues growled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… So we did. All's fair in war." Andy replied.

"Sure thing." Beta X looked amused.

"Okay! Strategy Air: Start!" Kage announced.

"Roger! Transfer: Completed!" Zarashe added.

"Come! Hind D!" Both announced.

A Hind D chopper materialized in the area above the VPN, WAN and LAN pathways as both Golden Star Navis activated jetpacks and flew up to meet up with it: the cockpits entered and both dropped inside.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah! Welcome to the Aerial War!" Andy announced via the chopper's speakers.

"Weapons mode: 12.7 mm four-barrel Yak-B machinegun. Four 57 mm rocket pods, four SACLOS 9M17 Phalanga Anti-Tank Missiles and bombs! This router shall be you guys' graves!" Beta X announced next.

"And we've improved its armor and fuselage, too! It'd take several Stinger missiles to shoot this babe down!" Kage warned.

"So? Have you written your wills?" Zarashe taunted.

"Damn. We're in deep shit." Forte cursed.

"The Harrier 2 Planes were hard enough to handle, but this thing…" Blues grimly muttered.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah, shah! Where's Gyro Man when ya need 'im? The jerk!"

"… Achoo!"

"Whoa! I didn't know Navis could get a cold, too."

"Jeez."

Gyro Man had been assisting Airstar as he piloted his chopper across the city and looked annoyed.

"I dunno why. But someone must be speaking ill of me." He grumbled.

"Guess so!" Airstar smiled.

"… Eat machinegun!" Andy exclaimed.

The machinegun fire drew a line all around the accesses to the router's bowels as the three Navis tried to climb skywards.

"… Missile!" Beta X announced.

Four missiles shot out: two hit Forte from behind and from the front while the other two hit each respective Navi from behind.

"Damn. Heat-tracking missiles…!" Enzan cursed.

"So? Does Champion – sama know how to handle this?" Kage taunted with a smug smile.

"Why, you…! Kage!" Enzan hissed.

"_Clichéd_."

"Yeah. This guy has no imagination." Zarashe laughed.

"Here's a present from Bomber Man – sama!" Beta X announced.

"Yeah! Eat medicine!" Andy laughed.

The chopper shot some bombs which destroyed or damaged part of the LAN and WAN pathways: the three Navis struggled to get up while hissing curses under their breaths.

"Damn." Yuriko hissed.

"My. The mistress has some language." Zarashe taunted.

"What were you expecting from someone raised by an evil genius scientist, anyway?" Beta X laughed.

"Dunno." Kage shrugged.

"Ask Kami – sama via Skype." Andy laughed.

"… What? Commissioner! A gigantic monster has materialized on the outskirts of Densan City!" Manabe exclaimed after picking up a phone call made to her Link PET.

"Damn! They were expecting us to defeat Crimson Dragon and the Hind D is to keep the strongest Navis busy!" Kifune cursed.

"Mobilize ALL Japanese "Cross Fusion" members!" Yuriko rallied.

"And tell Airstar to drag Magnets out of the sofa!" Enzan added.

"Fools! You got distracted! Missile!"

"Machinegun!"

The three Navis had gotten distracted hearing to the communication when the Hind D attacked them: the missiles hit Needle Man and forced him to "Log-Out" while the machinegun caused several wounds on Blues, also forcing him to "Log-Out" too.

"So! Forte. You're next." Andy announced.

"_Bye-bye."_ Beta X added.

"Darkness Over…!"

"Anti Tank Missile!"

"GUWA~H!"

17:01 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huge!"

"What the heck is that?"

"It sure is the men's toilet ghost!"

"Meiru – chan…! The men's toilet ain't to blame!"

"Hmmm…"

"A Monster Summoned from the _Naraku_: that it's true identity."

"It'd seem your _otaku_ friends have a lot of imagination, Charlie!"

"Tesla – sama…"

"Yeah. And your "Neo WWW" never came up with it."

"My, my…"

"It must the Evil God making me lose my bearings!"

"Don't say nonsense, Dingo…"

The only six available "Cross Fusion" users were standing in a building's rooftop and looking at a huge monster.

"What a freak!"

The monster was some kind of gigantic statue easily four to five meters tall.

Its head was shaped like a cone and had two yellow diamond-shaped "eyes" plus a vertical band running down the center of the face yet no nose or mouth: two grayish halves of a pyramid had been set at both sides of the band: a greenish cap with a spike protruding from it was set atop its head as well.

The shoulders were mere square boxes with a long spike protruding from the sides and three shorter ones coming out from the upper surface while aiming upwards: the arms were just some dull yellow rings of energy set in a row while the hands had only four fingers to them instead of five.

The rest of the body formed a pyramid's shape: the outer edges had spikes protruding out of it and aiming upwards along with some square boxes: a large black slab with reddish glyphs engraved around the whole of its perimeter served as chest.

The thing had no legs but a pedestal of the same type of stone having two small white stains close to the center.

Overall, its mere presence radiated power.

"… Okay! We're here to beat this ugly men's toilet ghost, so let's get into it!" Meiru rallied.

"That's why I insist that the men's toilet never was the culprit, Meiru – chan…" Roll sounded exasperated.

"Heh! Nenjiro and I will beat this ugly thing!" Nenji exclaimed

"I ain't "Nenjiro"!" Napalm Man roared.

"Ouch! Hot, hot!"

"I won't let these guys laugh at me over and over again!" Tesla exclaimed.

"Indeed. It is an insult to Tesla – sama's pride." Magnet Man confirmed.

"I guess we'll have to hit it with everything we have!"

"Yeah. Obviously." Gyro Man shrugged.

"Hum. Shadow Man. As far as I know, no – one ever comes out of the _naraku_… Or are you saying this thing is going to pull mortals into it instead?" Miyabi questioned Shadow Man.

"Yeah. More or less." Shadow Man shrugged.

"Dingo… No Evil God is making ya lose your bearings… If you only bothered to bring a compass along…" Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"Oh. Shut up." Dingo growled.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Let's go!"

The six of them performed "Cross Fusion" and then jumped in front of the monster: it seemed to notice them, so it stopped.

"Wroh, hoh, hoh, hoh, hoh, hoh."

It swung its hands outwards and some purple and black – colored distortions of space formed on the ground: some enemies emerged from there.

These newcomers were some soldier-like beings of a dull orange and gray color pattern formed on the area: their heads were shaped like cones the sides of which had patterns drawn into them and they had some armor built over the shoulders and the chest which protected their raw energy bodies.

The "soldiers" held shields and swords and instead of legs they had a "tail" of energy which allowed them to hover over the ground protected by an armored spear.

They came in various colors, those being yellow, orange, blue and green plus the standard grayish color.

"I guess those must be envoys from the _Naraku_." Shadow Man guessed.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah…" "CF" Miyabi sounded skeptical.

"Envoys or not… They won't laugh at my face! Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Roll Arrow!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Napalm Bomb!"

The attacks hit the "soldiers" and they were taken out: however, more holes formed and several more came out.

"… I see. They want to stall with these… A classical desperate plebeian tactic…" Shadow Man realized.

"So… We must attack that thing, you mean." "CF" Miyabi summed up.

"Normal attacks won't do it… We need Program Advances." "CF" Airstar suggested.

"I'll go first! Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

She shot the blast at the monster's chest slab: it turned from green/blue to deep red.

"It works!" She exclaimed.

"Okay! Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!" "CF" Miyabi announced.

He swung the blade at it and the slab began to get some cracks on it while the monster hovered past the group.

"Ignore the pawns! Chase it!" "CF" Miyabi commanded.

"Area Steal!"

"CF" Meiru warped some meters forward.

"Program Advance! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Zeta Cannon!"

"CF" Meiru shot the five blasts at the slab and they impacted: it began to get bigger and longer cracks.

"One more should do it!" She rallied.

"O. K.! Tomahawk Rolling!"

"CF" Dingo curled as he was surrounded by fire and shot forward at a great speed, crashing against the slab.

"Gruo~h!" The monster roared.

The slab cracked completely and there a bright white flash of energy which forced everyone to close their eyes.

"Did that do it?"

"GRWRO~H!"

However, the monster was still standing: all of its stone body had been replaced by purple flames and a yellowish sphere could be seen set on the center of it which contained a black mass of energy.

"Whoa. This thing has another form." "CF" Dingo gasped.

Two machineguns with four muzzles suddenly formed on its hands and began to sweep the whole of the avenue: "CF" Dingo was hit by the bullets and pushed back before the hands closed around him and lifted him while crushing him.

"Gu… Gua~h! Grah! A~h!" "CF" Dingo yelled.

"Dingo!" Tomahawk Man gasped.

The thing let go and "CF" Dingo fell, but "CF" Meiru caught him just in time and deposited him in the ground next to a wall: "CF" Dingo collapsed and sat down on the ground, exhausted.

"Don't push it, Dingo! You're exhausted." She told him.

"Damn it! These things only happen to me! That thing is the Evil God: there's no room for mistakes!" He cursed.

"Dingo…" Tomahawk Man sounded exasperated.

"Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile!"

"CF" Tesla shot an array of Mag Missiles at the monster's core, damaging it and causing it to shrink a bit: it soon regenerated, however.

"Wroh, hoh, hoh, hoh." It made some hollow chuckle-like sound.

The hands faded away to be replaced by two large drills which detached and shot forward: one of them hit "CF" Tesla and inflicted heavy damage while the other hit "CF" Airstar, who'd been flying behind her.

"Gra~h!"

"Guo~h!"

They fell into the ground and reverted out of their "Cross Fusions" due to the attained damage.

"Shit. We've lost half of our group. This thing is no joke, either." "CF" Miyabi cursed.

"That's why…!" "CF" Meiru began.

"… It ain't the men's toilet fault!" Roll finished.

"Nenjiro! What should we do?" "CF" Rokushadama asked.

"Dunno! Thinking is like a headache to ya!" Napalam Man laughed.

"Wha~t?" "CF" Rokushadama grumbled.

"Che! Program Advance! Fumikomizan, Triple Slot In! Zeta Fumikomi!"

"CF" Miyabi dashed forward and made three precise cuts to the monster's body: the core shrunk but soon regenerated again: the right shoulder, arm and hand began to deteriorate.

"We're making progress!" "CF" Miyabi rallied.

Some of those holes formed and those soldiers popped out: however, these ones didn't carry shield or sword: they merely charged up energy and shot an elemental attack in the form of a continous beam of energy colored in their respective elemental colors.

"Nenji – san! Don't let the blue ones hit you!" "CF" Meiru warned.

"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"CF" Rokushadama's blast hit the core and it did the same process: the right arm began to further deteriorate and got half-way erased until the spot where the elbow would be at.

"Gruo~h!"

The monsters suddenly charged up energy and shot a gigantic purple-colored beam of energy forward, taking out both "CF" Miyabi and "CF" Rokushadama.

"Here comes the army! Tomahawk Rolling!"

"What?"

"CF" Dingo rammed into the core and the whole right arm until the shoulder vanished while the left one began to show signs of deterioration.

"I recovered." He announced.

"Phew!" "CF" Meiru sighed in relief.

They then jumped out of the way as the monster swept the ground with its left hand: it then did the machinegun and drill tricks, but they had no problem dodging them.

"Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

Both attacks inflicted considerable damage into the monster and caused it to lose its left arm while the rest of the body began to deteriorate in random segments.

"Guo~h!"

"Jump!"

"Okay!"

They managed to jump out of the way of the super powerful energy beam and focused.

"Program Advance! Spread Gun, Triple Slot In! Hyper Burst!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"CF" Meiru aimed the Hyper Burst and shot it at the monster's core while "CF" Dingo shot a wind attack at it.

"Mugro~h…"

The attacks provoked for the monster to turn into stone and then seemed to break apart into pieces while the core shrunk until it exploded in a bright ball of energy: the only thing left was some raw data and the signs of destruction: the soldiers began to self-delete as well.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" A familiar voice laughed.

They both gasped and looked at a nearby building's roof: Legato was standing in there while having a smug smile on his face.

"Both Crimson Dragon and _Ra Mu_ are gone… It'd seem you're making a favor to _that person_." He commented.

"What?" "CF" Dingo frowned.

"Your boss wants us to blow these things up?" "CF" Meiru questioned.

"No. We got them from another party which had no further use to them: they'll be rejoiced at seeing them being destroyed after so many years of having to endure their repression." Legato let out.

"Come on! Do you think the Science Labs wouldn't have noticed this thing's existence before?" "CF" Meiru sounded skeptical.

"But what if it was extremely well hidden?" Legato suggested.

"Come down and fight!" "CF" Dingo challenged.

"Heh, heh, heh… Sadly enough, I'm only here to let out a hint from _Noir_ – sama." Legato replied.

"What!" Both gasped.

"_Auf Wiedersehen_!"

"_Auf Wiedersehen_?"

Legato suddenly dematerialized while they looked surprised.

"German…! "Good –bye"…!" Tesla grumbled as she stood up and shook the dust off her.

"Whoa! How did you know that?" Airstar asked.

"I've been to Berlin several times 'cause the Gauss Console has a branch office there. Gotcha?" Tesla replied.

"And wasn't it in Berlin where they fled to after that tower incident in Canada?" Miyabi recalled.

"Maybe we should talk with them." Tesla suggested.

"But I don't feel like going all the way there. Couldn't we just use videoconference?" Meiru asked.

"Sure. That's what I use to do from time to time, anyway." Tesla shrugged and didn't seem to mind it.

"Berlin, huh… These guys sure like roaming 'round Europe." Rokushadama commented while looking surprised.

"That's because they're afraid that you're gonna set fire to their house with your fireworks!" Napalm Man joked.

"Wha~t?" Rokushadama growled.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man laughed.

"In any case… Let's go contact Enzan – kun." Meiru suggested.

"Sure." Airstar shrugged.

"Oi, Nenjiro! What was that about?"

"I AIN'T "NENJIRO"! EAT THESE~!"

"OUCH! HOT, TOO HOT!"

"So? Next time ya wanna go to Majorca?" Airstar seemed to guess Tesla's future actions.

"Nah! That's degraded. Only cheap fools go there." She shrugged.

"Puku! Listen up! Puku! Bubble Man – sama's newest product, the Anti Matter Gun, is completed! Puku!" Bubble Man's voice rang out from a speaker nearby.

"Sure, sure." Meiru looked skeptical.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Puku! The Anti Golden Star Weapon will sweep the floor with 'em on it! Puku!"

"Someone hit the guy in the head with a hammer." Tomahawk Man grumbled.

_Netto…! So you're in Germany…? We'll come rescue you! I promise!_


	22. Chapter 22: President Hades

**Chapter 22: President Hades**

18:15 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 28th…

"… _Gutten morgen. _Welcome to Gauss Console Berlin Office. How might I help you?"

"I'm the Japan Gauss Console President: Tesla Magnets. I need to speak with the branch president."

"Roger, _Frau_ Magnets. Please wait a minute."

Tesla, Meiru, Airstar and Enzan were having the live videoconference from a room in the Net Police HQ: a receptionist had greeted them and was now hearing to something with his headphone.

"… _Herr Präsident_. _Frau _Magnets would desire a live videoconference. Should I patch it to your office?" He asked.

"… Please go ahead." Someone replied.

"Roger."

"_Gutten nachmittag_, _Frau_ Magnets. It is an honor."

The "president" was unmistakably Kanou Shade but none of the presents seemed to realize that yet.

"You must be the new president… You look young." Tesla frowned.

"Alas. My predecessor suffered a car accident and I have to replace him until he recovers. But he had full confidence on my skills, so there is nothing to be concerned about." The man replied.

"What's your name?" Tesla asked.

"Shade. Kanou Shade. Japanese descendant born in Frankfurt, _Frau_ Magnets." He politely announced.

_Why. Haven't I heard that name time ago?_ Enzan frowned.

"In any case… Do you remember the news of that plane explosion?" Tesla asked.

"I do. It surprised me." He admitted.

"This might sound weird, but… Is there any "great lake" somewhere in Germany?" Tesla asked.

"Why. We do have. Lake Constance: 536 square kilometers. Lake Müritz: 117 square kilometers. Lake Chiemsee: 80 square kilometers." He announced.

"Hmmm… Do you have any mountain the name of which may ressemble the verb "to laugh" or any similar derivates?" Tesla asked.

"… No. I do not think so…" He seemed frown.

"Well then… Is there any mountain the name of which may ressemble the word "pillar", maybe?" Tesla asked next.

"… I would need to look it up, but without more specifics…"

"Oh! They're supposed to be on opposite shores of one of those lakes and be more or less in sight of each other." Tesla added.

"Hum…"

"And please look up if there is any hill-like scenery which may contain former farms. It supposedly has to have views into the lake but we're not sure from which side of the lake." Telsa detailed.

"I understand."

They suddenly heard the sound of a door out of the screen opening and someone stepping in only to halt.

"… Eh? Huh? E~H! W-who are you?" A voice asked in German.

"My. Playtime is over, it'd seem." Shade muttered with a hint of amusement and also in German.

"I am Rudolph Neügo: only President to this office! What are you doing here and how did you get inside?" Someone exclaimed offscreen with obvious indignation.

"What's going on?" Airstar wondered.

"… It'd seem that man is an imposter, Enzan – sama." Blues reported.

"More imposters?" Meiru growled.

Shade calmly stood up and looked out at the scenery of the city while they heard someone dialing into a cell phone.

"_Polizei_! I need policemen in the Gauss Console: someone has tried to impersonate me!" The man exclaimed.

"What!" Someone exclaimed.

"Did you like the thrill which came with escaping slaughter by mere inches when we blew our plane up?" Shade teased.

"That's no mere man! It's the leader of Golden Star!" The policeman uttered.

"What!" The real president uttered.

Shade calmly looked at a black wristwatch he had and hummed the _Star Wars_ theme.

"Send a SWAT team!" The policeman commanded on his side.

"Yes, sir!"

"By the time you get there I shall be gone." Shade announced.

"What! Send patrol cars: block off all exits!"

"Who said I need a conventional exit?" Shade teased.

"Damn." Enzan growled.

"My. Ijuuin – dono. I hadn't spotted you over there. It has been too long! And I am afraid you have forgotten me altogether." Shade greeted in Japanese while making a reverence.

"I knew it! My hunch that I knew you from somewhere else was correct, then!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Correct. September 2004." Shade merely replied as he stood up again with a smile on his face.

"So I just have to look at the list of people I had an interview with back then!" Enzan muttered aloud.

"I'll add another hint: Maha Jarama _Yoga_." He added.

"Ah! I remember! That was the first time we met you, Enzan – kun! Maha had used Magic Man to turn people into animals!" Meiru recalled.

"Ah. My exit is here, it'd seem." Shade announced.

The purple portal formed in front of him and he looked towards the videconference hologram.

"Ms. Magnets! I apologize for my spying with my micro robots back then, but you should be glad I didn't spoil anything out." He gallantly announced while bowing.

"What! You spied me!" Tesla gasped.

"And Umbra – kun didn't get to realize it, I'll admit. But he spied on you when you planned to take over the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator." Shade added.

"Why, you…!" Tesla cursed.

"Farewell."

Shade calmly walked into the purple portal and it closed behind him, leaving no trace of it having been there.

"W-what! I'm hallucinating?" The real president wondered.

"No! It's just some kind of _Star Gate_ imitation!" Airstar exclaimed.

"President Neügo! Your work is good enough. Keep it up!"

"Huh! Roger, _Frau_ Magnets!"

"Goodbye."

"… Something tells me Germany could be a good place but I wouldn't risk betting it all on it." Enzan muttered aloud.

"Where are they, then?" Blues grumbled.

11:28 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… So! We're gonna move our HQ somewhere else, then, Oriol?"

"Yup. But it's a special place."

"Oh?"

"Intrigued, Andy – kun?"

Kuroshiro and Legato were talking with Kage and Andy while inside of their room: a small red-colored suitcase could be seen set on the ground: Kage was sitting in a chair and looked interested while Andy was standing next to him.

"But, firstly… We're gonna make another show with the army to test its deployment capabilities. And you'll come by using "Cross Fusion"." Oriol announced.

"Heh. If Andy alone is hard enough to chew, they'll stand no chance against our "Cross Fusion"." Miquel grinned.

"Otouto… Don't be over-confident. That's when trouble knocks at our doors." Andy grumbled.

"Sorry. I'll drop it, niisan." Kage replied.

"In any case… We'll do that tomorrow. And you'll find the spot familiar, even." Kuroshiro teased.

"Heh. They will be filled with fear and confusion." Legato smiled.

"Obviously. Golden Star is way better than 'em!" Andy grinned.

"Victory will be ours!" Kage exclaimed next.

"Sure thing." Legato grinned.

"Well. I better get to work: I've got job to do. I'm not a pencil-pusher to begin with and there are some projects I gotta complete."

"See you around, guys."

"We'll be looking forward to it, yeah."

11:37 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… _Mademoiselle_. How are the preparations like on _that front_?"

"… Completed."

"Is that so? Splendid."

Shade was speaking with Slur while standing in front of another of those ring-like machines: Slur looked amused.

"The server moving has been completed. The self-destruct C4 in the lab is set up as well. The rest of the rooms will be left as they are." Slur amusedly listed.

"Perfect. I apologize if this was below your dignity. We are somewhat short on staff." Shade politely apologized.

"You do not need to be concerned, President Hades. I do know your requests are not selfish at all but for the greater good of Golden Star." Slur calmly replied.

"Thank you very much for your understanding." Shade gallantly thanked.

"… Heh. Maybe Forte will come over. I would like to teach him about powerlessness." Slur looked sinister.

"Please do grant him another living nightmare. He shall then wish he had never tried to challenge us. _Mademoiselle_ Slur."

"But of course. Then, if you shall excuse me…"

"Please go ahead."

Slur floated out of the room by levitating some centimeters above the ground while having that sinister smile on her face.

"Forte. Foolish Net Navi. You shall experience the _Naraku_ itself: unending pain and suffering engraved on your mortal flesh. Hmpf. "Net Saviors"… They shall share the same fate, too… The Reverse Cyber World shall swallow them…" She muttered aloud.

_How foolish of you to get in our way, foolish Net Navi…_

14:44 PM (Moscow Time)…

"… Damn. So we've confirmed that 'K. S.' is Kanou Shade and that he's that President Hades guy, then."

"Yeah. And that Hind D was no joke and neither was that mole they named "Ra Mu"."

Enzan had contacted Laika to brief him on the current situation: Laika looked annoyed while Enzan looked resigned.

"Hmmm… But if they say some people are glad when we destroy them and they talk about "years of repression", then they really seem to be some years old…" Laika muttered.

"I managed to scan some of the remaining data samples you sent me: the whole programming method looked antique yet advanced for its age. I'd placed it between twenty and fifteen years ago." Search Man announced to them.

"Hmmm… The only important thing which I know of that period is the failed "Spectrum" experiment… Maybe they were military designs which were rejected and which someone else then took profit of? But… Dark Land's military regime has only been around for nine years… The timeframe doesn't match." Enzan ventured.

"Yeah. It doesn't. And I'm still reeling about them actually _cloning_ Netto just to fool us." Laika made a grimace.

"Yeah. They're starting to try to turn _Star Wars_ stuff into reality. Let's hope they don't recreate the whole Imperial Fleet, too."

"That would be a painful thing." Blues grumbled.

"I'd rather prefer the Imperial Fleet to the Death Star's Super Laser, thank you very much." Search Man sarcastically muttered.

"And they've still got one ace under their sleeves, I'd say. It's slowly becoming deadly. Let's pray no-one ends dying for real."

"Yeah. I hope that it doesn't happen, too." Laika muttered.

18:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm BEATEN!"

"Whoa! Dingo! What happened?"

"Look at the TV!"

"W-w-w-what's THAT?"

"Whoa!"

"By all the…"

Dingo came into Maha Ichiban's while looking beaten: Dekao was surprised but Dingo simply collapsed on one of the seats while he lazily signaled the TV: Dekao gasped upon seeing aerial footage of the battle against "Ra Mu": Hinoken gasped and so did Wily.

"Father."

"Huh! Yuriko."

Yuriko came in all of a sudden and sat in front of him.

"Is that one of your experimental designs?"

"No."

"The technology matches."

"Who'd want to use something from almost 20 years ago?" Wily was surprised.

"Twilight _did_ use "Spectrum"…"

"Damn. I remember." Wily cursed.

"Did you come up with the energy core system back then?" Yuriko asked next.

"Yes. They were a secondary research the Army wanted to conduct and part of it went into the defense mecha." Wily admitted.

"Hum. It reeks. This is the second one we've found."

"Second one! But who'd bother to build those?"

"Speaking of using old technology again… I remember Enzan telling me about the Operator of "Asteroid" Drill Man chasing some weird pillars made 20 years ago which opened all kind of Cyber Locks…" Dingo suddenly recalled.

"Yes, I'd heard of that. But it's unrelated."

"Oh! Mariko – sensei! How…?"

"I'm not Mariko, I'm Yuriko."

"But Mariko – sensei doesn't have any sisters!"

"She thought I'd died in a plane accident. Don't you remember me from a year ago? At the bridge? The car's tire got punctured and I was threatening Mariko with a gun?" Yuriko sighed.

"AH!" He gasped.

"Anyway. Any ideas, Father? Were there any competent researchers involved in "Spectrum" who could come up with that?"

"Huff. Honestly enough I was only thinking about myself. There were tons of scientists, even Japanese ones with a temporary contract: the Army was interested in those mecha. I'm surprised they left them to rust there after that, though. And I'm surprised that they could move again way over 20 years later. I'd never guessed there were such numbers."

"Maybe Twilight used some production plant and had it produce them in a row for some time before to get them ready…"

"Could be. Anyway, I'd have to dig out the lists somewhere. Maybe Ijuuin Enzan could help: his company has sympathies with the Ameroupe Army and that's how they figured out about Barrel Tai – sa…"

"Good. I'll ask of him, yes."

"But be careful, Yuriko. We don't want anyone to die."

"Of course not, Father."

"Oi! Dingo!"

"What, Dekao."

"What was _that_?"

"HUH? Ah. You mean when Meiru – chan gave me a hand… Well, what's odd about it, anyway? I needed to recover from the attack." Dingo shrugged and sighed.

"You…!" Dekao growled.

"Ooyama Dekao! Beware! The curry is about to curse you! It's about to get burnt! Along with your future!" Wily told him.

"NO WAY!"

Dekao rushed into the kitchen and he remained there for a while so Wily fumed and sighed.

"Anyway… Try to figure out who could've built those. Maybe they were stored in some Army server or cluster and have just been re-discovered by those guys…" Wily shrugged.

"Hum. But I'm surprised at that of "years of repression"… Like they'd been employed in an evil manner… But the Science Labs would've surely picked on those… So they must've been hidden somehow." Yuriko muttered with obvious suspicion.

"As if those guys weren't enough now there's some conspiracy being dug up after being dead for 20 years? What the hell is going around here, anyway?" Wily cursed.

"The Evil God's cursed us: that's it…" Dingo groaned.

"Dingo… There aren't any Evil Gods so stop babbling."

"That's easy for ya to say, Tomahawk Man!"

"And if only you bought a compass…"

_What's this about? Who built those things? Why are they being dug up by now? How did they hide them? I have a bad feeling…!_


	23. Chapter 23: Net Saviors VS Evil Army

**Chapter 23: Net Saviors VS Evil Army**

17:17 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 29th…

"… Good afternoon to all our viewers! Midorikawa Kero: reporting! We've received a tip-off that an important event is going to take place here in less than three minutes! We expect it to be that mysterious Navi army: it would seem they'll be back for more action!" Midorikawa reported.

The chopper kept on scanning the avenue and didn't spot two figures standing atop a rooftop and looking down into the street: Kage and Zarashe.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"Hmpf!"

Both of them sported sunglasses and a light brown open raincoat and looked amused at something.

"Heh. This'll be a good final deployment test before we depart to our new location."Zarashe commented.

"Yeah. We'll show 'em that we're the kickass guys." Kage added.

"I'm itching for a fight." Beta X announced.

"And you'll have so many that you'll end up bored of 'em, even." Andy teased.

"… Currently… Two minutes and five seconds remain! Will they appear again with King Land punctuality?" Kero wondered.

"You can be sure of it, Midorikawa – san." Kage muttered with a hint of amusement.

"And Number Man dude lost to that Toad Man dude just because his Operator didn't want to use a Dream Aura Battle Chip… Laughable."

"That guy should go sing under the rain." Zarashe joked.

"Yeah. And then they'll 'im he's fired for trying to copy the _It's raining, men_ song." Beta X laughed.

"… One minute twenty eight seconds! It's drawing closer!" Kero excitedly announced.

Both Zarashe and Kage rummaged into their raincoat's right pockets and took out "Synchro Chips": Zarashe's model was the new-gen one Laika and other "Cross Fusion" users had been granted during the Duo Crisis while Kage kept the first-gen model.

"This'll be my first time using "Cross Fusion". It sounds exciting."Zarashe commented with a smile.

"Yeah! This'll rock." Beta X added.

"Heh. "Cross Fusion"… To think we're keeping the very first user locked in our basement… We could've made use of his experience." Kage muttered with some sarcasm.

"Who knows?" Andy shrugged.

"Thirty one seconds! Coming! Coming!"

They then spotted the Net Police chopper flying into the area and then landing on the empty avenue: several persons came out of it.

"Just in time." Kage muttered.

"Oh! The "Net Saviors" have come! This promises to be exciting! Nineteen seconds remaining!"

Both of them detached the Link PETs and held them on their left hands while they held the "Synchro Chip" with the right one.

"… Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Time!" Midorikawa counted down.

"Coming!"

The Galleon Army materialized: row after row of soldiers filled the avenue accompanied by the M1 Tanks and the Harrier 2 Fighter planes.

"And…"

"Our general…"

However, something else materialized above the army and casted a large shadow eclipsing the sun: the "Net Saviors" and Midorikawa gasped in horror and surprise.

"Whoa! Look at that!" Kero gasped.

The apparition was a gigantic machine: it had a general circular form and was colored blue and brown.

The top of it had a large metallic brown-colored circle with two yellow eyes set on it.

Then there was what looked like fingers pointing downwards placed beneath the circle and facing another set of fingers pointing upwards, thus creating a teeth-like shape.

A body could be seen behind those fingers, colored blue with some brown pieces.

"That's gotta be the last of 'em." Enzan muttered.

"Its power levels are off-charts, Enzan – sama." Blues warned.

"So? Are you gonna say it's another _Naraku_ envoy?" Miyabi guessed.

"Obviously." Shadow Man confirmed.

"Another aberration based off Father's designs, huh…" Yuriko muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Grrr! I'm boilin' for a battle!" Needle Man exclaimed.

"Meijin! The "Dimensional Area"!" Enzan requested.

"Roger! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

The "Dimensional Area" was deployed around the avenue and the soldiers began to march towards the group.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Eight persons announced.

"Go, cool guys…" Kage grinned.

The eight "Cross Fusion" users showed up on the area and began to blast the robots, tanks and fighter planes while the gigantic machine shot down meteors and missiles.

"Okay! It's our show now." Kage announced.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Zarashe exclaimed.

"_Rock and Roll_!" Andy exclaimed.

"_It's raining, men_!" Beta X added.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both performed "Cross Fusion" flawlessly and then looked at each one's end result.

"Wow."

"Cross Fusion" Kage had Andy's bodysuit over his normal clothes but with some design differences: the plating over his shoulders had a more pyramid-like form and was aiming towards the North-West and the North-East.

The helmet's design was different as well: a silver-colored fin-shape piece formed at the sides, emerging from the ear pads' upper edge and extended until the end of the helmet: an arch was drawn over it and the space inside of it had a deeper tonality of silver.

A complicated drawing was imprinted within the forehead and the helmet's front now extended until the start of the nose: his hair now flowed out in a more natural manner from behind it.

A bronze-colored border formed around the shoulders' edges and a straight line travelled towards the emblem to form a curve surrounding the lower half of it: the curve ended with a small "spike" drawing pointing downwards.

His forearm design included a thin separation around the elbow: the two combined section formed a hexagon with a golden-colored jewel set on its center.

The short section set on the rear half of the elbow was colored bronze while the rest of the forearm was slightly brighter.

The bronze borders travelling down the sides of his upper body ended around the hips: two circular bands of a bronze color were drawn over them with a small separation between them.

His boots' design was based upon that of his forearms: the soil was painted black and separated from the rest of the foot by a thin bronze-colored line.

The jetpack design had changed a bit, too, and it now included bright silver pieces connecting the upper right and left edges with the body: a curved golden line was drawn half-way across it: the rest of the backpack looked identical to Andy's usual form.

"Well. Not bad." He muttered.

"Hey! _Check it out_!"

"CF" Zarashe, on the other hand, added ruby diamonds to the knee-guards and the armor around the elbows: some purple-colored patterns on the upper chest formed an angel's silhouette while the legs had the _Kanji_ for "senshi" ("warrior") drawn on them.

His helmet had had a slight redesign too to include a sparkling purple five-pointed star on its forehead.

Lastly, he had a dull green and metallic gray backpack with two jets attached to his back which obviously allowed him to fly.

"Not bad either."

"… Elemental Sword!"

"Mugen Vulcan!"

"Dream Sword!"

"CF" Blues, "CF" Yuriko and "CF" Miyabi tried attacking the machine and seemed to inflict some damage to it but it merely increased speed and shot down missiles and meteors often than usual.

"Shit. Is this thing made out of armored steel or what?" "CF" Blues cursed.

"Maybe we need to insist." "CF" Yuriko calmly suggested.

"Che! Zeta Fumikomi!"

"CF" Miyabi delivered three neat and clean slashes to it.

"I guess it's about time to turn serious. 2nd Form: engage." "CF" Kage muttered aloud.

"Heh, heh, heh… This'll be a nightmare." "CF" Zarashe chuckled.

The machine stopped and its eyes flashed: it suddenly began to change, revealing that this form was a compact form.

The fingers separated and turned 90º to the left to assume a vertical position before they separated: a needle-like object appeared on the underside of a gray-colored core sphere.

Its hands assumed the correct position while the head elevated and popped out from its position: two small horns appeared at both sides of the white-skinned yellow-eyed immobile face.

The shoulder pads and the arms formed as well while the armored plate on the top was revealed to be its chest armor.

"W-whoa!" The "Net Saviors" gasped.

"Heh, heh, heh… Let's see how well they'll fare against Andromeda's true form." "CF" Kage chuckled.

"Heh, heh, ehh. They'll be wishing they hadn't provoked it: its rampages are deadly. You should've thought it twice, you guys!" "CF" Zarashe added.

"Ugly! Tomahawk Rolling!"

"CF" Dingo tried to ram into the core, but Andromeda smacked him with its right hand and sent him crashing inside of an empty office building without having to sweat, even.

"Dingo!" "CF" Blues gasped.

"CF" Meiru jumped inside of the building and found Dingo lying on the floor, out cold and having reverted of "Cross Fusion" due to the damage.

"He doesn't seem to have broken anything." She reported.

"Ah! Meiru – chan! Behind!"

"What?"

Five missiles flew into the building and impacted into "CF" Meiru, attaining heavy damage and filling her with bruises.

"W-why, you…!" She hissed.

However, one of the hands appeared on the façade hole and opened to show its palm: it had a green circle on it.

"Ah! No way!"

A powerful laser beam shot out of it and hit "CF" Meiru, pushing her backwards and having her revert out of "Cross Fusion" due to the attained damage.

"KYA~H!"

She collapsed into the ground while her Link PET fell close by.

"Meiru – chan!"

"Damn. Two have been defeated and we haven't even begun scratching this thing!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"Mag Ball! Mag Ball! Mag Ball! Mag Ball! Mag Ball!" "CF" Tesla announced in a row.

The Mag Balls hit several spots of the monster but didn't seem to take effect: one did it the core but it merely made it change the eyes' color to red.

"Ops." She muttered.

"Step aside, Tesla!" "CF" Airstar told her.

"I'd done that even if ya hadn't told me!"

They both jumped out of the way as five meteors rained down in the spot they'd been at.

"Hyper Burst!" "CF" Yuriko announced.

She shot the blast at the core, and it hit it: the core shrunk and the right hand's fingers were deleted.

"Hru~m!"

However, Andromeda clasped its hands together and hit the ground, causing a powerful shockwave which hit "CF" Tesla and "CF" Airstar, who'd been trying to aim for the core.

"Whack!"

"Whoa!"

They were knocked asides and collapsed into the ground, losing their "Cross Fusions" too.

"Shit. Vulcan Arm!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Needle Cannon!"

The attacks hit the core, but some bounced off and were repelled while the others did minimal damage: the right hand began to turn unstable and to break up.

"Hru~m!"

However, Andromeda inclined its body to face the ground and shot a powerful blast of green energy forward, sweeping the whole of the avenue: only "CF" Blues and "CF" Miyabi were able to dodge in time while "CF" Rokushadama and "CF" Yuriko were taken out.

"Grua~h!"

"Too bad." Kage chuckled.

"Shit. Only the two of us against this monster… Program Advance! Fire, Elec, Aqua, Bamboo Sword! Elemental Sword!"

"Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!"

Both Program Advances inflicted heavy damage, given the core's shrinking and the loss of both of the hands, arms, and the shoulders: the needle-like object began to break down along with the chest armor.

"Another little bit…! Program Advance! Fumikomizan, Triple Slot In! Zeta Fumikomi!"

"… I'll risk it. Area Steal!"

While "CF" Blues attacked the core, "CF" Miyabi warped in front of the face.

"Hru~m!"

However, two missiles materialized and hit him, pushing him back, but he managed to re-focus.

"Muramasa Blade!"

He attacked the core along with "CF" Blues and it finally collapsed, breaking Andromeda up into raw data with an echoing howl.

"Hryu~hu~h!"

Both landed on the ground and looked exhausted.

"Huff, huff…"

They suddenly heard sarcastic clapping and looked at their left to see both "CF" Kage and "CF" Zarashe standing there.

"_That person_ must be praising you guys! _He_ and _his_ Tribe must be rejoicing that the tools of repression are gone at last!" "CF" Kage announced with obvious amusement.

"Good job!" "CF" Zarashe added.

"Zarashe! Kage!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"They can use "Cross Fusion", too…!" "CF" Miyabi cursed.

"Say hi to your Lord, _Sengoku_ fan! Beta Buster!"

"Ijuuin! Your file got another stain on it! Golden Buster!"

Both attacked the remaining "Cross Fusion" users with their default weapons ("CF" Zarashe drew a white buster weapon on his right forearm which had a fin-like shape forming mid-way through its length: a golden edge ran up the right edge of the buster as well while "CF" Kage just drew a silver-colored version of the Rock Buster) and pushed them back.

"Charge Shot!" Both announced.

These new attacks hit the "Cross Fusion" users and weakened them, but they were still standing.

"Diehard… Let's finish it off! Zarashe!"

"Okay! Kage!"

"Long Sword!"

"Long Blade!"

Both jumped down into ground level and dashed towards the duet.

"Wide Blade!"

"Wide Sword!"

They drew their own swords and clashed with their opponents, struggling in the deadlock: however, they were clearly advantaged.

"_The End_!" Both announced.

They plunged their swords into the chest emblems and forced them out of "Cross Fusion": they collapsed into the ground with their reformed PETs.

"Heh! We win! Let's go back, Zarashe!"

"Okay! You guys lose!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…!"

17:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Che! Bothersome rubbish… They keep on regenerating!"

Freeze Man was dealing with a crowd of Viruses blocking off an archway entrance labeled "VPN Router Hokkaido SW45D": he'd come out of his diamond and had frozen most of the Viruses but they were still regenerating and exasperating him.

"Correct. You shall not stop us." A voice announced.

"Damn."

He looked up to see Slur floating in the air and looking down towards him while having a smug smile on her gace.

"Fantasies are amusing. But reality must then take over. You shall vanish into the Reverse Cyber World." She announced.

"Bothersome woman…!" He cursed.

"Hmpf. Those who get in our way will perish." She threatened.

The infamous wires formed around Freeze Man's body, immobilizing him: he tried to pull at them, but they didn't crack.

"Che! How's this like?"

He then expanded the ice spear on his palms backwards and it managed to cut through some of them.

"Hmpf! Huh! What!"

However, Slur rammed into him while being on her "streak" form and provoked an explosion.

"Groa~h!"

When it cleared, Freeze Man was laying face-down on the ground and had grave wounds on his body: he groaned in pain and tried to stand up.

"Damn… They ran away… I have to… return to the base…!"

_Too powerful…! It this beyond our power…?_


	24. Chapter 24: Beyondard Three

**Chapter 24: Beyondard Three**

22:22 PM (Japan Time), Friday July the 30th…

"… Well? Do you remember this place?"

"I sure do! I'd never guessed I'd be back here."

"Whoa… It's still untouched."

"Obviously."

Kage, Andy, Kuroshiro and Legato were walking around the rather empty rooms of a building somewhere.

"The Wily Laboratory, in Beyondard… This is where we ended the Cybeast War!" Kage exclaimed.

"Yup! We decided to make use of it. It's gonna be our new HQ." Kuroshiro announced.

"Whoa. I'd never thought we'd be back here…" Andy whistled in surprise.

"Don't worry! You two destroyed Wily's electronic consciousness along with the Greizer Super Cybeast." Legato told them.

"So… I guess we're somewhat gonna repeat history?" Kage guessed with a grin.

"Yep! Beyondard shall become Golden Star's Reign! We shall spread our grand army. But we don't seek war. We'll remind them that they've just removed the greater of dangers but a lesser danger can pop out and then become a "greater" danger again." Kuroshiro explained with a grin.

"That's fine. They need to remember that they must find a way to defend themselves. By the way... Legato. Will we keep at it?" Andy asked him.

"But of course." Legato confirmed.

"Eh… Sorry to butt in."

Zarashe and Beta X came in from another door.

"Video Man is missing." Beta X reported.

"Video Man? Great." Kuroshiro grumbled.

"Cosmo Man has reported that one "Copy Roid" is missing, too." Zarashe added as extra info.

"Che! He's gonna give it away by coming out and trying to make a documentary." Legato grumbled.

"We'll go look for him. He can't be far." Miquel announced.

"Let's pick different sides of the facility: we'll go west, Wan – kun and Beta X can pick north and you two can pick east. Call Cosmo Man and have him check the south." Andy suggested.

"… Heh, heh, heh! Welcome to Video Man's on-spot live documentary: the Wily Laboratory!"

Video Man was standing in the rocky terrain area surrounding the Wily Laboratory and filming: he failed to spot another Barrel (identical to the "past" Earth Barrel) observing from afar using binoculars: an open car having four seats was parked nearby, too, but it looked retro.

"… Odd. That guy isn't a "Zoanoroid" but a normal Net Navi… Yet… It'd seem it got access to a "Copy Roid" like the one Iris uses… That laboratory… I was right on keeping the monitoring of it up: someone is actually using it as a hideout." He muttered aloud.

"Ta – dan!"

Someone suddenly jumped on top of his shoulders and covered the binoculars' lenses with the hands.

"What?"

Barrel lowered them to realize that a child Net Navi was sitting on his shoulders and looking amused.

This Net Navi wore a yellow and white bodysuit and his emblem was blank: he had two pockets on both sides of the suit.

Two curious cone-shaped forms emerged from his helmet. He had two small spheres attached to the tips of them.

His face looked like that of 5 or 6 – years old child and he had green emerald irises.

"Trill! You followed me?" Barrel asked.

"Trill was bored!" Trill, the Navi, announced.

"Not again…"

Barrel calmly lowered him into the ground and crouched to look at him with a slightly annoyed face.

"Trill. This could be dangerous." He warned.

"Huh? But didn't Trill erase the "Bestialize Factor" along with Netto and Saito time ago? The war ended!" Trill brought up.

"That's true. But someone is using that place as a hideout. I dunno who they are or what they want. But, nevertheless, this isn't a playground to play around." Barrel told him as he stood up.

"… There you are! Video Man!"

"Yikes! Oriol – sama!"

Barrel gasped and looked over there with the binoculars again: Kuroshiro and Legato could be seen discussing with Video Man, who looked afraid of being caught in the spot.

"Hum! A young boy… And another Net Navi too… "Oriol"? And that red Navi… Doesn't he look familiar?" He muttered.

"Whoa! The red Navi must be Blues' oniisan!" Trill exclaimed as he signaled him.

"Ah! True! One of Netto – kun's friends… He does look rather similar. And I don't believe in coincidences, either." Barrel muttered.

"Trill can't go say "hi" to them?" Trill asked.

"No. I don't believe them to be good people." Barrel replied.

"Why?" Trill asked.

"First: their sudden apparition. I came here a week ago and there was nothing out of place. Second: their sneaky behavior. That Video Man looks like he wasn't supposed to come out." Barrel listed.

"E~h…" Trill sounded intrigued.

A radio in the car beeped so he checked it out and replied to a call.

"Barrel – san? Is Trill there?" A girl's voice asked.

"Yeah. He is, Iris." Barrel confirmed.

"Trill! Don't scare me like that!" Iris, the girl, scolded.

"Sorry, Iris – oneechan!" Trill apologized.

"I've been searching the whole laboratory before I thought you'd snuck out to ride out with Barrel – san. Don't do that again!" Iris told him.

"Trill is sorry… Trill wanted to go out…" Trill apologized next.

"Then ask me! I wouldn't have minded going for a little walk around the laboratory's perimeter!" Iris replied.

"… Hum?" Barrel suddenly wondered.

He saw that the three of them had already gone back inside, but the robot army along with the M1 Tanks and the Harrier 2 Planes began to materialize outside of the facility.

"What!"

Tall and thick perimeter walls also materialized and gun-type Viruses were set up on top of them: two large and heavy gates formed on the south side of the facility.

"… Guess we can't do anything for the time being. Trill and I will be coming back. We don't want them spotting us." Barrel sighed.

Barrel picked his PET and pocketed it before he sat on the vehicle's driver seat while Trill picked the passenger seat.

"Remember, Trill. Don't go out." Barrel warned.

22:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Shit. Freeze Man got beaten up so I have to go look for possible remaining clues on my own. And I hope I don't meet that woman."

"You won't. You've met me."

"Shit."

Forte had been muttering aloud as he headed towards a VPN Router in Hong Kong: however, Legato was standing in the entrance archway with a grin on his face.

"So! We meet face-to-face again, Forte. You were rather foolish not joining "Nebula"." He told him.

"Hmpf. Step aside." Forte replied.

"Sorry. But I can't do that." Legato replied.

"Then I'll force you to." Forte threatened.

"Go ahead." Legato challenged.

"Hell's Rolling!"

Forte summoned the two indented purple wheels and they rolled across the ground towards Legato while leaving a cut on the floor.

"Not a bad greeting!"

Legato merely drew a Neo Variable Sword and blocked them off before he jumped into the air with a grin on his face.

"I needed some thrill! Dark Neo Variable!" He announced.

He shot the sphere of energy at Forte, who dodged: the tornado formed, nevertheless, and began to pull Forte in.

"Damn."

"Eat this! Delta Ray Edge!"

"Fuck."

Legato suddenly shot the red triangle at him from behind and Forte was sucked into the tornado, getting cuts on his body and cloak.

"Grua~h!"

He roared until he fell down into the ground, panting.

"Shit. You guys take profit of my lack of full power…!" He cursed.

"Hmpf. All's fair in war." Legato grinned.

"Hell's Buster!"

The shots bounced off Legato's body with a light metallic sound and he stood there without being affected.

"Damn! Body armor!" Forte cursed.

"Heh. This is the newest ace-in-the-hole we've come up with." Legato announced.

"Grah! Air Burst!"

Forte formed yellow spheres of energy and shot them towards Legato, who calmly dodged them.

"Is that all? Then it's no surprise Ms. Slur defeated you." Legato taunted with a broad grin.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Legato calmly drew his normal sword and locked blades with Forte without having to struggle too much.

"You lowlifes…! If you have dared to hurt my friends, then…!" Forte hissed with obvious fury.

"Hurt them? Are you deaf? They're being given VIP treatment! Be glad that we're considered and not treating them as P.O.W. in an open conflict." Legato calmly replied.

"Hmpf! You look like a leech! Didn't anyone tell you that?" Forte told him with obvious sarcasm.

"Who knows?" Legato replied.

"You lowlife do." A voice rang out.

Legato gasped and looked over his right shoulder: Blues was standing there while having a Long Sword drawn.

"Ah. _Ani – ue – sama_. It has been a while." Legato taunted.

"You lowlife…!" Blues hissed.

"Heh. And then they say I'm the grudge-holding guy here." Legato amusedly commented.

"Who's your master?" Enzan demanded.

"You used to know him." Legato replied.

"… We've met too many people." Enzan replied.

"Hmpf. I'm not surprised. He's become a new person ever since November: he has evolved!" Legato exclaimed.

"What?" Enzan frowned.

Legato suddenly jumped into the top of a nearby street light and looked down (literally) towards his two opponents.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Since you guys seem to be stuck at our riddle, I've been given the order to let out a big hint to solve it…" Legato announced.

"What?" The three of them gasped.

"Ahem, ahem! _Au revoir! Auf Wiedersehen!_ _Arrivederci!_ Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Legato announced.

He laughed aloud as he suddenly transformed into data and exited the area: the other two frowned.

"… French, German and Italian…?" Forte frowned.

"Wait. Does he mean a place where the three of them are official at the same time?" Enzan guessed.

"Switzerland! It's the only option!" Blues exclaimed.

"Switzerland… There's gotta be a trap. But we'll risk it."

"I'll go along. I'll charge Freeze Man with patrolling."

"Netto…! We're almost there!" Enzan muttered.

_We're going to rescue you!_

"Puku! Forte – sama~! Puku! I did it! Puku! I completed the Anti Jerk Weapon, puku!" Bubble Man suddenly ran in.

"Bubble Man." Blues fumed.

"YIKES! The red "Net Savior"! Puku!"

"Don't mind the guy. But, more importantly… Do you think I'm an idiot, Bubble Man?" Forte set a hostile gaze on him.

"Eh…"

"Try to sell that to Ooyama but I don't need a non-existing weapon to begin with. Go to Alaska."

"UA~H!"

He ran off like he was going to be slaughtered and Shadow Man suddenly appeared there.

"_Nin_."

"Shadow Man. You saw it?"

"Yeah… The cold _ramen_ curse is about to take effect. Those guys will start to shiver in cold."

"Cold _ramen _curse?" Miyabi sounded skeptical.

"Skeptical Miyabi came."

"Hmpf."

"Anyway… I'd rather corner them between the cutlass and the ammunitions storage!"

"Don't you mean the sword and the wall?"

"And having a gunpowder barrel with a lit fuse slowly consuming as both hatred enemies fight to death…" He dramatically added.

"Sure, sure." Forte wasn't amused.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… The young disciple of the _Yoga _Grand Master is about to run into trouble."

"Dekao? He's run into trouble _countless _times already."

"No wonder." Miyabi muttered.

"By the way, Ijuuin… Any luck with the investigations regarding the origin of those _Naraku _envoys?"

"I haven't had time to do that yet. I'll tackle it once this whole deal has been wrapped up successfully."

"Fine."

"Guts, guts! Rematch! Guts!" Guts Man suddenly dropped in and challenged Shadow Man.

"_Nin_! _Kage Bunshin_!"

"Guts! Not again!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

A dozen Shadow Men surrounded Guts Man.

"Guts Hammer!"

He hit the ground with his hammer and the shockwave deleted half of them so he chuckled.

"Gotcha, de guts! Guts Machine Gun!"

His attack deleted the other five and the real one whistled a tune: Guts Man tried to tackle him but he vanished in a cloud of smoke leaving a _chibi_ Guts Man doll there instead: four _shuriken_ hit Guts Man from behind in a row as Shadow Man landed behind him.

"Is that all, neophyte?"

"Neo-what? Guts?"

"Don't mind it. Rookie."

"Roo – what? Guts?"

"Gorilla."

"Guts! Guts Man is strong! Guts Man isn't a gorilla!"

"Pepper, saffron, onion, potatoes, carrots." Shadow Man listed in a rush while sounding amused.

"Huh… Pepper… Saffron… O… Onion? De guts? And… Hum…" He began to count with his right hand's fingers but trailed off.

"No way. He can't remember more than three items at once?" Forte looked skeptical.

"Who programmed his AI, anyway?" Blues grumbled.

"Dunno." Enzan admitted.

"Someone not too smart…" Miyabi muttered.

"Oi! Miyabi! I didn't program Guts Man!" Dekao protested.

"Then you passed your habits into him."

"NO WAY! Grah! This is like when I sent Guts Man to buy things on Internet City in December…! Bubble Man was fooling around and then Rock Man went berserk!" Dekao growled.

"Huh… Huh… Guts…"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… _Nin_!"

Shadow Man vanished while Blues and Forte grumbled under their breaths: Guts Man was scratching his head by now.

"Po… potatoes?"

_Oh come on! Let's go to Switzerland already!_


	25. Chapter 25: Access Denied

**Chapter 25: Access Denied**

19:58 PM (Switzerland Time), Saturday July the 31st…

"… Okay! This is the village of Buochs!"

"We're finally here!"

Enzan was riding on the rear seats of car driven by Detective Misaki: Yuriko and Miyabi had also come along him.

"So… The "laughing mountain" meant Mr. Rigi! And Rigi can sound like the Catalan imperative verb "rigui": laugh. The "pillar" is Mt. Pilatus because it has a slight resemblance to the world "pillar". The 'great lake' is the _Vierwaldstättersee _Lake. And Buochs has some old farms built on the hills overlooking the lake, so it fits!" Enzan listed from some notes he had on a draft paper.

"What's more: Zarashe used to live in a Lucerne orphanage! And Mr. Shade then registered his address when he adopted him to take part in "Golden Star" too." Yuriko added.

"But if they bothered to give us the place… Then there's a trap set in place... Why would they do that otherwise? Or maybe they've switched HQ and they don't mind laughing at us by saying "gotcha"…" Misaki commented while frowning.

"Hmpf. Traps… I'll deal with them." Miyabi announced.

The car climbed up the hills of the Bouchserhorn Mountain and stopped in front of a traditional-looking three-story house.

"… This is the place." Misaki announced.

They walked over to the entrance door and found it locked.

"Obviously." Enzan muttered.

"Allow me." Yuriko announced.

She took out that needle of hers and easily unlocked the door, which creaked open.

"Something I learned in "Nebula", see." She announced.

"Heh. Useful." Miyabi looked amused.

"Let's go inside." Enzan rallied.

They stepped inside and soon spotted the basement's entrance: it was unlocked and opened as if inviting them to come down.

"… An invitation, huh…" Shadow Man muttered.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Che! Bothersome guys." Needle Man grumbled.

"Hmpf. Classical." Blues scoffed.

"Obviously." Prism Man added.

They stepped down and turned on the Link PET's flashlights to illuminate the living room: it was empty.

"I cannot pick any signatures in a 500 meter radius, Enzan – sama." Blues reported.

"Hmpf. We guessed as much: they moved out." Miyabi grumbled.

"Let's investigate: they might have forgotten something." Yuriko suggested.

They headed towards the west and found two unlocked rooms: they both had a bed, two chairs, a small desk and an adjacent bathroom: the rooms didn't have windows.

"These rooms are built with a material capable of absorbing EM Waves, Miyabi. No signal will come in or out." Shadow Man reported.

"And one of these rooms must be where Hikari was being kept hostage at… Their talk was true, then." Miyabi guessed.

"… Odd. Look here: there are some marks on the ground like something had been affixed there with nails." Misaki commented as he crouched to examine them.

"Maybe it was this chair…" Yuriko suggested.

"True. The legs have some signs of having been nailed into the floor to make it be affixed there." Enzan grasped.

"But why would someone bother to nail a chair and then put it back where it was at? And that's not something done just once: the marks show that the chair was stuck there until very recently ago." Misaki wondered.

Enzan seemed to inwardly gasp and looked surprised: he examined the marks and the chair before he checked up the bathroom: he found nothing out of the ordinary.

_Huh?_

He then spotted something shining under a towel: he lifted it and revealed a metallic chain about thirty centimeters long.

"Maybe it was used to restrain him?" Prism Man suggested.

"It feels strange, though… It's almost like they wanted someone to actually find it. Could it have another meaning to it?" Miyabi wondered.

Enzan narrowed his eyes and made a grimace without the other three persons noticing.

_Damn. I know what this means. I'm too late. _

Blues inwardly gasped and seemed to have realized something as well, given his sudden grimace.

_Let's check out._

Enzan discreetly stood up and ran into the next room: he found the same exact scenery and a small torn paper on top of one of the desks written in a neat and polished manner.

"Check out the "Copy Roid" resistance to water: possible stiffening of joints when exposed to hot water and steam."

Blues made a grimace and seemed to have put a piece of a puzzle together, given how he clenched his fists.

"Damn." He hissed.

"… Enzan – kun! Come here! You can't miss this!" Misaki called out all of a sudden.

Enzan ran out into the corridor and headed north: he found the lab-like room and saw the other three interacting with the laptop linked to the cylinder.

"Have a look at this!" Misaki exclaimed.

Enzan leant forward and spotted a graphic onscreen.

"NAKAYAMI IVAN – KUN:

BEFORE: 99.98% HIKARI NETTO – KUN

AFTER: 9.98% HIKARI NETTO – KUN / 90.02% ORIGINAL STRING

ALL GREEN"

"… Ivan…! So they altered his DNA after they rescued him. His appearance must've changed!" Enzan gasped.

"But since they gave him a surname, we could try to track him down by it, couldn't we?" Misaki suggested.

"This machine… There's a log about Sergei. His digital DNA has been altered to mach Ivan's, too. And his Navi appearance has been changed as well. His power levels and ability to "Bestialize" keep on being the same. However! It's noted that he can't use "Soul Unison"..." Yuriko read the logs in the machine.

"An opponent able to bestialize and having tremendous battle power… It must be their insurance in case they were to be defeated." Miyabi guessed aloud.

"Huh? What the heck is this?" Misaki uttered.

They ran back next to him: a face had suddenly appeared on the laptop's screen.

"Who's this guy?" Miyabi wondered.

"Dunno." Enzan admitted.

The image was colored ghostly blue and it depicted a man wearing a black heavy hood: his face looked damaged and demarcated while his eyes looked evil: he had a strange smile on his face.

"… Foolish ones. By living in the "Light", you lowlifes have never realized how powerful the "Dark" was… Until now." It announced in an eager and arrogant tone in Japanese.

"Who's that guy?" Misaki wondered.

"Wait… I feel like I've heard that somewhere." Yuriko muttered.

"He looks like… I dunno… His face was burnt or something…" Miyabi frowned.

"Face… burnt… "Light"… "Dark"… Hmmm… Wait! Wasn't Twilight claiming to be a…? Oh! I've got it!" Yuriko thought aloud before exclaiming.

"Yeah? Who's that creepy guy?" Enzan asked.

"_Darth Sidious_: _Darth Vader's_ Sith Master! This line is taken from _Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith_! You know! It came out a year ago: I saw it back then!" Yuriko exclaimed.

"Huh… They seem to like _Star Wars_ stuff like Twilight did. He himself claimed to be _Darth Twilight_." Enzan lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"Vader… Wait. Didn't we hear a similar name before? And Sidious… You're not gonna tell me that weird "Soul Unison" Twiligh used back when the worldwide "Dimensional Area" was… That thing was named "Chaos Vadous" so… You gotta be kidding, me, right?" Blues muttered aloud sounding skeptical.

"… Whoa!" They all gasped.

"It makes sense!" Enzan gasped.

"What an irony!" Miyabi exclaimed.

"… Do not underestimate the power of the _Dark Side _of the Force. I find your lack of faith disturbing." A voice announced. It sounded like it was breathing through a mask.

They all gasped to see a close-up of _Darth Vader_'s helmeted head onscreen: it looked imposing and terrific enough.

"Whoa. Vader's here, too." Yuriko gasped.

"Someone here must be a diehard _Star Wars_ fan." Miyabi lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"… _Noir_. He worked for Twilight. The guy must've influenced him somehow even if he then ditched Twilight." Enzan guessed.

"Detective Misaki. I found a camera feed: there's a room which looks like it held several servers and another which contains a broken machine which looks like the one the Net Police spy used to escape." Prism Man reported.

"So they used that to flee… And they took the servers along. They wanted us to find this stuff, though…" Enzan muttered.

"… Excellent deduction. My dear Watson."

They all looked at the PC's screen again: a black and white illustration of Sherlock Holmes was onscreen.

"Sherlock Holmes, huh…" Miyabi sounded amused.

"… It's just a matter of using your brain's little gray cells." Another voice announced.

"Hercule Poirot…" Yuriko recognized.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! _Ramen_…! Ouch!" An unidentified voice announced before it was seemingly hit with something metallic.

"Oh. I remember that. It was a comedy show." Misaki remembered.

"_Fote't, Forte_!"A voice exclaimed.

"Did they say something about me?" A voice asked.

They turned to see Forte standing there.

"How did you…?" Enzan asked.

"I installed a bit of the Professor's upgraded "Bestialize Factor" A.K.A "Zero Virus" to materialize at will." Forte admitted.

"… You won't like it." Blues warned.

"_Fote't, Forte_!" The voice exclaimed again.

"… Screw me, huh? It's a rhyme in Catalan." Forte grumbled.

"… Show's over." Someone suddenly announced.

"What?" They all gasped.

"Sink into the Universe's "Dark"… Or should I say… Be destroyed by the power of the _Dark Side_ of the Force!" A voice announced.

"… I know that voice from somewhere." Yuriko frowned.

"Ah. Oozono Yuriko. It would seem you have forgotten the battle I fought with my master along you before our bargain chips came into the picture along with Tesla Magnets and Charlie Airstar." The voice sounded rather amused.

"… Damn. Cosmo Man!" She uttered.

"…"Master"… That guy means Umbra!" Miyabi gasped.

"… Wait. Could it be…? _Noir_ is Black. Umbra is Shade. They're more or less the same thing, so… Maybe Umbra is the guy who is cooperating with Shade? Remember: he sacrificed himself for Netto's sake."

"My! Enzan! You're as sharp as always!" A familiar voice congratulated with a hint of amusement.

Kuroshiro's face came onscreen: he was sporting the sunglasses and had a smug smile on.

"Umbra?" Enzan gasped.

"Don't mistake me for Twilight. The guy was ironic enough to revamp my face to look like a younger version of him."

"True. He looks like it." Yuriko realized.

"So I guess you've got a new name." Blues guessed.

"Kuroshiro Oriol, if you don't mind, _Buruusu_."

"You lowlife! What have you done to Saito?" Blues demanded.

"Calm down! He's with Netto – kun on their joint room. I treated them to _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl_."

"Hmpf. I like that better." Blues scoffed.

"… That chain you left behind… You've done it. Haven't you?" Enzan questioned.

"Heh. Obviously." He admitted.

"And that stupid imitator did it, too." Blues guessed.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Misaki wondered.

"Dunno." Miyabi admitted.

"… It sounds like something bad…" Yuriko ventured.

"So! Where are you guys at?" Enzan demanded.

"Fu, fu, fu… Ask Kami – sama via a sacred maiden: Meiru – chan would fit in the role."

"Sakurai being a sacred maiden…? No way." Enzan looked skeptical.

"I'm afraid talk time is over. Cosmo Man! Have you finished wrapping up over there?" Kuroshiro questioned.

"Roger, Oriol – sama."

"Good. Well then… Farewell!"

The line suddenly went dead and there was the noise of a logging out while Misaki typed into the PC.

"Damn. Only system configuration data is left. All other stuff there was before is gone." He cursed.

The PC beeped and a red countdown appeared onscreen.

00 H 01 M 00 S

"Self-destruct device again…! Run!" Enzan gasped.

"Yeah! I don't want to be anywhere close to it!" Miyabi gasped.

"Run for it!" Yuriko exclaimed.

They all ran out of the lab, climbed up the stairs and exited outside into the field.

"Huff, huff!"

The muffled sound of some explosions rang out but it soon died down: te fire alarms went off and the automated sprinklers turned on: smoke began to come out of the basement door.

"Shit. They blew up the lab-like room." Enzan growled.

"And since they'd already broken down the machine, there's no way to know where they fled to." Misaki sighed in defeat.

"By the way… What was that talk about?" Miyabi asked Enzan.

"… Hum… Well… I think that Kuroshiro may have… tried to bend Netto to his will. I mean… He must've tried to force him to forcibly become close to him…" Enzan seemed to be improvising it.

"Che." Blues growled.

"Trying to steal honor out of people… Plebeians. Hmpf…" Shadow Man grumbled.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Grrr! We're so gonna slice 'em up!" Needle Man exclaimed.

"What do we do, Detective Misaki?" Prism Man asked.

"We've got no reason to hang around here. Let's leave and prepare to get back to Japan." Misaki replied.

"Huh? Where did Forte go to?" Enzan wondered.

"Here."

Forte materialized out of the blue while having some burnt spots on his cloak.

"I tried to stop the explosion but I couldn't. The whole place was rigged with C4." Forte admitted.

"Anyway… You better head back into the Cyber World before anyone sees you. We'll meet in Japan." Enzan suggested.

"Yeah… See you guys around." Forte replied.

The group climbed into the cars and headed away climbing up the road: Enzan distractedly looked at the sunset panorama.

"By the way, Ijuuin…" Forte called out from Enzan's PET.

"Yeah, Forte?"

"I know you mentioned that form Twilight used way over a year ago… But if that was a mockery of "Soul Unison", then could his form and name have been taken from someone else?" He exposed.

"Could be. Wait. You mean to say there's a Navi or a guy wearing that armor design and whose name is "Vadous"?" Blues realized.

"It's but a hypothesis." Forte admitted.

"Maybe Netto has heard something. We'll figure it out when we catch those guys or rescue Netto." Enzan sighed.

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"Hum. And if we take it that Shade isn't 25 yet then he could be of around the early 80s… _Episode IV_ dates of 1977, _V_ was in 1980 and _VI_ was in 1983… Wait a min. But! If Twilight's genes were stolen off Hikari and Rock Man then… Could have they been born with a base age and then grow? That'd make them be of the mid-90s… Hum." Forte muttered aloud.

"This is starting to turn crazy. What happened to the world's sanity, anyway?" Yuriko sighed.

_Netto…! I was so close…! But I WON'T give up! No matter what!_


	26. Chapter 26: History repeated

**Chapter 26: History repeated**

09:19 AM (Japan Time), Sunday August the 1st…

"… Preparations: completed."

"Roger."

Shade was standing in a recently-built balcony in the front of the Wily Laboratory and speaking with Slur.

"Do look on."

"Hum!"

Several Hind-A choppers were waiting outside of the perimeters: they were filled with the Galleon Net Navis and looked ready to take off any moment now.

"The troops seem ready… What about the vehicles…?"

The M1 Tanks had deployed while facing the eight possible directions along with the Harrier 2 Fighter Planes and several infantry units standing in front of them.

"This day has finally come. I might have refused to resurrect the "Secret Empire" but I shall build a new Reign: Golden Star's Reign. But that's a trial, anyway. It's a challenge to see what they can come up with to fight us back or to see if they will be paralyzed by fear. I don't intend to gain any profits from this. It's but a trial to see what can be done yet I wouldn't be too surprise if the "Net Saviors" got in the way."

"Indeed." Slur looked amused.

"Whoa~! What huge numbers!"

"Incredible…!"

Kage and Andy had come out into an adjacent balcony and were looking down at the army with impressed faces.

"Whoa. Golden Star's Army… It looks imposing." Zarashe commented as he stepped into the balcony.

"No –one shall be able to oppose us…" Beta X muttered while having a smug smile on his face.

"… Oriol – sama. We are mere inches from absolute rule." Legato announced while bowing.

"True, Legato, my chap. We're gonna be copycats and recreate the Galactic Empire." Kuroshiro amusedly announced.

"Heh, heh, heh! Today shall be remembered as Foundation Day!" Video Man exclaimed as he taped everything: he was standing in the topmost structure of the facility.

"Heh, heh, heh. We are supreme." Cosmo Man added with a grin.

"Should we go for it, gentlemen?" Shade asked.

"Yeah!"

"Excellent. Go! Teach this world's foolish humans about the consequences of defying Golden Star!" Shade commanded.

The Hind-A choppers lifted off and shot away in several directions followed by the planes: the troops and the M1 Tanks advanced in several directions as well.

"Turn on the device!" Shade commanded.

"Roger." Slur confirmed.

The facility rumbled and its "Dimensional Generator" antenna was brought out: it charged up and projected a "Dimensional Area" around the Wily Laboratory, thus protecting it from any outside attack attempts.

"As long as we remain inside of the "Dimensional Area"… We are invincible! Let the Rule Age begin!" Shade exclaimed.

"Hmpf. They might come at us with their pathetic weapons… But they shall be annihilated. Such is their fate." Slur amusedly muttered.

"And, anyway… I said it before, but… This is but a show. A little show with no intention to harm anyone…" Shade shrugged.

09:49 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Okay! We got a big catch today!"

"Phakchi – neechan will be happy!"

Four or five young boys ranging 11 to 13 years old climbed down from a small fishing boat docked next to a small village: one of them stood out for some reason.

He had brownish messy hair and eye irises plus a small "X" shaped scar on his right cheek.

He wore a simple blue vest with a yellowish neck and sleeves having four cyan triangles aiming inwards drawn there plus a pair of blue shorts and black sneakers with 4 gray dots on them.

"Hey! Arakagi Kojiro! Let's surprise Phakchi – neechan!" One of his pals called out.

"Yeah!"

Akaragi then glanced at the skies.

"… Whoa… I find it hard to believe. It's already been half a year, but… I still find it surprising to not find circuitry drawn all across the skies." He muttered.

"Thanks to Netto – kun, the war ended! The only sad part of it was that he had to leave for his own city, or so Pakchi – neechan told us… I wonder if we'll meet him again…" Another boy added.

"He was a nice guy… Saving me twice… And never asking anything in return…" He muttered.

They suddenly heard the sound of helicopter engines and four of them became visible as coming from over the horizon.

"Whoa! Flying machines…! They look cool!" One of them exclaimed.

"Maybe it's a country which has recovered from the war and is testing them out?" Another wondered.

Two choppers flew past the village while the other two floated above it: its noise drew out the inhabitants.

"What the heck?"

A young woman on her late 20s or early 30s popped her head out through a kitchen's window.

Her hair colored was purple and so were her eyes' irises.

She wore two partial red bands across the front of her hair and had two or three small kitchen knives wrapped there.

The rest of her clothing consisted on a greenish shirt with goldenrod edges drawn across the sleeves' openings and the inner band of the neck.

The shirt also had a Navi emblem which was rather elaborated: a white character looking like the Alphabet letter "L" turned 90º to the right and extending almost the whole length of it, a tear-shaped object close to the center and another drawing which looked like a small "V" character: the whole set was colored white and set against a black background.

Other pieces of clothing included an apron surrounding the front and rear of her black jeans: she also carried a large kitchen knife on its fund tied to the apron from behind.

She also had a red-colored device which seemed to be a foreign model of PET shaped like a square with a pyramidal base over it and a parallel horizontal piece: it had three bluish diamond-shaped pieces set on the right edge and two small thin pyramids forming on the lower edge of a circle set around the center.

This circle had the emblem drawn into it too: two small bluish stripes set were drawn on the adjacent piece.

"Oi, Slash Man… What are those?"

"Dunno." A Navi replied.

"Never seen them before."

"I told ya I dunno, Phacki Faran."

Slash Man, her Net Navi, projected using a miniature hologram not unlike the one Link PETs formed.

He was a "humanoid" design Net Nav: his upper body's color palette was lush green plus a vertical red stripe crossing through its length

His face's skin looked "human" enough yet his eyes lacked irises and were colored black: green armor protected the head and two claw-like shapes were set on both sides of it: he had a small red triangle drawn upon his chin, too.

His shoulders also had claw-like shapes set over them and armor covered the whole of his arms: the wrists were colored red and three sharp claws replaced his hands: they looked ready to cut through anything.

He had a small space between the upper armor and the lower body colored black: his legs were covered in thin armor which looked rather reminiscent of pants with yellow patterns running down the sides after starting on the waist: the front edge of his feet had a slight piece of black armor while the rest of them were unprotected.

"I've got a bad feeling…" Faran muttered.

The Galleon Net Navis suddenly jumped down by using jetpacks and the choppers aimed their machineguns around the area.

"We are the Golden Star Army! A new rule is starting! Martial law is imposed! Return inside of your habitations and don't come out at nighttime! Failure to comply will result in detention!" A voice exclaimed over the chopper's speakers.

"What?" Arakagi gasped.

"No way!"

"It's the war all over again?" Faran cursed.

"Damn." Slash Man's hologram cursed.

"You have ten minutes! Anyone not inside of their habitations after that period elapses will be detained!"

Everyone quickly ran inside of their habitations while locking doors and windows.

"Shit." Pakchi hissed.

"The only drawback of erasing the 'Bestialize Factor'… I can't come out anymore!" Slash Man growled.

"… Damn. Where's Barrel – san and the resistance guys when you need them?" She cursed.

"… Hmmm… This train came ten seconds ahead of schedule. Good. Better sooner than late."

"Yeah, Kunio… That's true."

A man on his late 50s and close to a meter and eighty tall was standing inside of a train station and checking an old-fashioned golden clock which he carried along using a chain.

He had brownish beard on his face and grayish irises: his hair was rather grayish too.

He wore a train conductor's uniform colored blue, shoes and a cap.

His PET was the same design as Farans' but colored cyan for the carcass: the edge-diamonds and the triangles used a brown pallelte.

"True, Charge Man."

"Heh! Kurogane Kunio never misses the time."

Charge Man was a curious Net Navi given how he was built like a steam locomotive colored crimson: the front part of it had his green eyes with black irises set on them plus a nose-like shape: he had no mouth, tough.

Two cylindrical shoulders with a grey cover at their end sprouted from the sides and had pincer-like objects instead of hands at the end of his forearms.

A round yellow emblem which was four quarters of circle plus a round spot was set above his armored forehead.

Overall, he didn't look too "deadly" or "strong" given his short height and length.

"Huh? What's that noise?" Kurogane wondered.

The noise of the choppers filled the air: everyone gasped in surprise and looked outside the station to see the Galleons jumping down: some of them ran in and aimed their weapons.

"W-what in the…? The war began again?" He gasped.

"No way! The Cybeasts are gone!" Charge Man argued.

"You're right. But I don't like the looks of this." Kurogane cursed under his breath.

"We are the Golden Star Army! A new rule is starting! Martial law is imposed! Return inside of your habitations and don't come out at nighttime! Failure to comply will result in detention!" A pre-recorded voice boomed out.

"Sir! What should we do?" An assistant asked.

"Cancel all trains NOW! Let's head back to our homes!"

"You have an hour's time." The voice announced.

"Che! If only I could come out and run them over…!" Charge Man growled in obvious frustration.

"… Hmmm… My, my! The voice of the wind brings about a sound I'd never heard before."

A man was sitting cross-legged in a hill somewhere and seemingly meditating.

He looked like an elder past his 60s given his abundant white beard but he wasn't that tall: maybe he was barely a meter and fifty tall: his eyes' irises couldn't be seen because he had them closed.

He wore a simplistic purplish cape plus a very large dome-shaped hat: his clothes were also simplistic and old-fashioned.

"Hum!"

He looked up and saw the shadow of a chopper flying past his spot and into the horizon.

"Ho, ho, ho! It looks like things are getting interesting again. Maybe we should have a new thrill, Tengu Man."

"Maybe."

Tengu Man's hologram came out.

His main body's color was pale brown and he had four round metallic spots on his chest: the base of his neck was colored red.

His head was shaped like a mythological _tengu_'s one: he had a large nose and a metallic jaw which didn't seem able to move: his eyes' irises was plain black with a white dot: an emerald was set on the forehead while his emblem (a _ginko_ leaf set against a black background) was drawn over his ear-pads: thick bluish hair came out from behind him and reached as far as the waist.

His shoulders were covered with brownish armor shaped like halves of a cylinder: his arms' skin was the typical black color and his forearms had partial armor over it: his left hands' fingers were colored red while his right hand had three large _ginko_ leaves set on it: his emblem was repeated in the point where the hand and the _ginko_ leaves extension began.

His legs were covered in armor starting slightly below the hips and stopped slightly below the knee: both sides of each leg had a pattern of three grayish diamonds set on vertical stripe: his feet were shaped like traditional wooden pieces colored red and having a green stripe.

Lastly, two short wing-like extensions appeared from behind his shoulders and seemed to allow him to fly.

"Ho, ho, ho… Fuuten Roushi guessed it right…" The man muttered with some amusement.

"… Thus, more aid should be brought to the city 5 kilos SSW from our current position and…! What's that noise?"

"Dunno."

"I've never heard it before."

Three persons has been standing inside of a tent and going over a map when noise rang out.

"Should we check it, Masked Commander?"

Masked Commander looked like another "Commander Beef" wearing desert nomad's clothes including a turban and shades.

He was accompanied by another Saloma and another Miyumi who also wore desert nomad clothes.

"Grah!"

"It's the war over again!"

"Damn!"

"We're doomed!"

The three of them ran out of the truck to see the Galleon Soldiers gesturing for some soldiers clad in desert nomad clothes to drop their weapons and walk inside of the tents: the M1 Tanks were overseeing the area and looked ready to shell it if necessary along with the Harrier 2 Planes.

"What in the…!" Masked Commander cursed.

"This is bad." Shark Man (identical to Earths' Shark Man) muttered.

"Grrr! And to think we can't come out anymore…!" Skull Man growled.

"That's the price we had to pay to end the war." Wood Man muttered.

"Drop all weapons! All armed actions shall be punished! Repeat: drop all weapons!" The pre-recorded voice commanded.

"… Oi! Horisugi Dotarou! A strange noise you are not hearing now? De gozaru?"

"Yeah! Let's check it out, Press!"

Two men had been working inside of a cave using excavation tools and then they came out: both looked on their 30s.

One of them was tall, over a meter and ninety in height.

He had blonde hair and blue irises: he sported glasses over his eyes.

His clothes were a wool cap, and a protective apron over a stripes shirt colored in various colors: he sported jeans and boots.

"Do gozaru! Mr. Press guesses trouble. De gozaru."

The other man was maybe around a meter and seventy in height and shorter than his partner

He had brownish hair and eyes along with big cheeks.

He wore an open orange coat over a white shirt along with a pair of orange jeans and boots too.

"Horisugi Dotarou smells it!"

They came out into the open where a van had been parked at: some Galleons had dropped around there as two choppers flew overhead and headed elsewhere.

"What are those, Dust Man?"

"Well, Ground Man…"

Ground Man, one of their Navis, struck as being close to two meters tall and had a rather machine-like design to him like Charge Man: his upper body's coloring was metallic orange and he had a brown-colored stripe set on the middle of it plus two trapeze-shaped bases colored yellow turned horizontally and aiming towards the middle of it.

His head had no neck and was protected by a piece of armor shaped like the Alphabet "U" character: his face's skin was white and he had two normal eyes plus an irregular line crossing through it which obviously was his mouth: the edge of his ear-pads was red in color and their drawing was three mountain peaks (the left and right one being identical in height while the center one was taller) drawn upon a black background.

An orange cylinder with a metallic spear on the rear end was built atop his head: the front end had a brown edge and a drill built into it.

His orange-colored spheroid shoulders had two metallic hexagons set over them with two drills emerging from them: his arms did have elbows and the forearm armor was orange in color, too: his hands emerged from inside of two hexagons as well.

His lower body had tank "caterpillar" tracks built into it and was colored mud brown: the tracks were black in color while the supporting frame was metallic gray.

"Answer me, Dust Man!"

"Cool it down!"

Dust Man, on the other hand, was a gigantic machine-like Net Navi, easily close to two meters tall: his main coloring was metallic-like orange plus olive green.

His upper torso had a rectangular hatch-like device colored metallic gray and with two small yellow rectangles set on each side: the hatch was closed and had two pyramidal shapes drawn on it: the structure supporting it, which crossed over the shoulders, was colored olive green and ended in a large heat exhaust occupying the whole of his approximately square body.

His face had seven golden cylinders emerging from over it plus two normal eyes and a tablet-shaped mouth.

His arms ended in orange circles containing five cylinders connecting to an accessory: the central one was colored metallic gray while the outer ones were white in coloring: the right hand's accessory was a metallic disk with four short needles and a hole in the middle: the left hand, however, was the contrary: one central needle and four surrounding holes.

He had a normal waist with a belt set on it and his legs ended in two olive green-colored pieces of armor covering the feet which were shaped like circles and having a small unprotected spot half-way along his feet's mid-section.

"Navis!" Dust Man exclaimed.

"Martial law is imposed! Get inside your houses or habitations! You have ten minutes!" The voice commanded.

"Crap." Dotarou grumbled.

"A curse the looks of this has! De gozaru!" Mr. Press exclaimed with obvious angst.

"… Hum. Those look like trouble."

"Yeah, Dark Kirisaki! Too bad I can't come out and slaughter 'em!"

"Cool it, Killer Man."

Dark Kirisaki was a young man who could be close to his 20s and maybe close to a meter and seventy in height.

He had bluish hair which was neatly combed and blue eye irises too.

He wore a black vest over a purple shirt and purple wool pants along with blue boots.

"Nyah, hah, hah, hah! Festival! Bloody festival!"

Killer Man, his Net Navi, was shaped like an _oni_ from Japanese folklore given how his "skin" was just combusting grayish flames: his main body was shaped like a sphere colored purple, and having a green eye with red edges drawn on the chest: the lower half of it was colored in a fiery gray color.

His face's skin was red in color while the edges of his face were colored purple: his emblem was that same green eye set against a white background. He had normal eyes with black shapes drawn below them and teeth but a maniac smile was drawn upon his face: part of his "hair" scaled down to form a nose and two small red "horns" emerged from the top of his head.

His shoulders had two curved axe-like formations attached to them and he carried three purple armlets over his forearms and wrists interconnected by a metallic-slabs-made chain.

His legs had four circle-shaped pieces of armor starting at the hips and stopping around knee which progressively decreased in height on each leg: his feet were curved-shaped blades with two reddish curved lines drawn on their surface: the upper one was shorter in height than the lower one.

He carried a scythe with a black stick and red body with a purple-edged green eye set on it.

To sum it up: he looked like the Grim Reaper himself and gave off a sinister vibe.

"Is there no way to counter…?" Dark Kirisaki grimly muttered.

"… It'd seem they're ignoring us…"

Barrel and Trill were sitting in the metallic ground of a facility somewhere: this facility looked like it'd been assaulted given how a large missile had punctured a hole in the roof and then plunged into the basement through the floor: two curved banks computers set in alcoves below ground level had been built in the center of the room and an LCD screen was hanging in a loose manner on the far wall.

"Barrel – san? Are they ignoring us?"

A girl came in from another room.

She looked around 13 or 14 years old and about a meter and sixty tall: not much older than Netto.

Her eyes' irises were colored green and abundant brown hair fell down across her back until it reached the waist: two largely white flowers adorned the sides of her head.

She wore a one-piece dress consisting on a white skirt reaching until the knees, more or less, while the dress itself was pink in color: she sported black knee-high boots as footing.

She currently looked nervous and depressed.

"… Hum… Eh…" Trill slowly called out.

"What's wrong, Trill?" Iris asked.

"… Oneechan… Is there no way to ask for help?" He asked.

"… I'm not sure." She admitted.

"Help? The "Resistance" has been reduced and confined within their encampment. The "Wily Laboratory" has that "Dimensional Area" protecting it again… And you're not a combat Navi, Iris. You can't come inside of it like that." Barrel replied.

"… Huh… If only Netto and Saito were here… They would defeat the bad guys! Trill misses them…" Trill muttered.

"Then "Beyondard" is our only remaining method. But we don't know if we can open a "Fossa Ambience" or a dimensional tunnel to allow one of us to travel there…" Barrel sighed in defeat.

"The last time it was because of the clash between both Cybeasts… But we'd now need a very powerful machine to do so…" Iris muttered.

"And that brings us back to the "Wily Laboratory". I'm sure the people there came from "Beyondard" to begin with. They wanted to take profit of our weakened state to impose their rule over us." Barrel muttered.

"Hum… But what if the bad guys turn confident and don't watch properly? Couldn't Barrel – san sneak inside?" Trill suggested.

"… You know… That's not impossible. They could be making a celebration and not minding security because the "Dimensional Area" is enough: they must be feeling cocky."

"But how could Barrel – san get through that?" Iris asked.

"We must check the lab's registers… And since we've managed to repair the "Dimensional Generators" to project normal "Dimensional Areas", maybe it could work somehow… We could try to overload their "Dimensional Area"..." Barrel suggested a course of action.

"Whoa! Trill's idea was good, then!" Trill looked excited.

"It was. But you'll stay here with me, Trill." Iris told him.

"Trill will stay!" Trill replied.

"Good…" Iris made a weak smile.

"In any case… Sitting idle won't lead us anywhere. What I'm worried about is repercussion from them. But we could try to generate a "Dimensional Area" ourselves to protect us… However… Something tells me they'd have no problem bypassing or collapsing it." Barrel muttered while looking worried.

"… We must risk it. Our world's peace is at stake." Iris rallied.

"… True. And I think they won't hurt you two. They may keep you under watch but that's not worrisome." Barrel replied.

"Okay! Trill will help to make up the plan!" Trill announced.

"… Our victory was easy. We've gotta celebrate it tomorrow."

"Let's bring out the _samba_ CDs and dance a bit like Raoul's crazy dancing… It'll be amusing."

Kage and Andy were sitting in chairs place at corners of a round table set in a rather empty room: Zarashe, Beta X, Kuroshiro, Shade, Legato and Slur were there too.

"No trouble has been registered. All proceeded splendidly." Slur reported as she looked up some datas through a normal PET.

"Thank you, _mademoiselle_."

"Do not mind it."

"We can make a party, Mr. President?" Zarashe asked.

"The mood's perfect!" Beta X added.

"Sure. Let's have a party." Kuroshiro grinned.

"A cool party." Legato looked up to something.

"Let's go for it, ladies and gentlemen!"

"HORRAY!"


	27. Chapter 27: Saving Beyondard

**Chapter 27: Saving Beyondard**

07:07 AM (Japan Time), Monday August the 2nd…

"… Cosmo Man? It's me. There's nothing weird over the south wing. Not like it can be, anyway…"

"Roger. I found nothing weird on the east wing, either."

Beta X was patrolling down a corridor and using a flashlight to illuminate it while he hummed the _Imperial March_ tune from _Star Wars_: there was a sudden noise and the environment's "Dimensional Area" disappeared and reappeared before it became stable.

"What?" Beta X wondered.

"… It'd seem the "Generator" had an automated reboot given that it's been running for too long. It used that to expel heat outside." Cosmo Man calmly reported.

"Ah! Then it was nothing. We should've expected it, anyway." Beta X shrugged.

"True. Anyway… I'm off to the west wing."

"Yeah. I'll pick the north wing next."

"… Iris? Do you copy? Intrusion: successful."

"Oh! We did it!"

"Yay!"

Barrel was crouching in a hard to spot angle next to the walls and was using his PET to report.

"Thanks to the microphone Barrel – san placed on the main line, it'd seem that most of the persons there are sleeping and there are only two Net Navis patrolling. They've noticed the "Dimensional Area" acting funny, but they thought the cause was their own "Generator"..." Iris reported.

"Good. Then it won't be hard to sneak past them." Barrel calmly replied while sounding somewhat satisfied.

"Good luck, Barrel – san!" Trill told him.

"Thank you."

Barrel took out a rope plus a hook and used it to climb the walls: the Gun Viruses didn't react and he could slip by easily enough.

_It'd seem they're only supposed to attack vehicles._

He spotted the east wing's door and he slowly checked it to make sure it wasn't connected to any security system or alarm: once he'd made sure of it, he ran inside and closed the door.

_Let's look. There has to be a machine out of place which must be what they used to move here._

He ran into a room inside of the basement and soon found the famed portal-generating machine.

_This has to be it!_

He quickly checked the controls and saw a list of possible warping locations. He slowly scrolled it down.

_Let's see… Netto – kun's nation was named Japan and his city was called Akihara City… What else did he tell me? Ah. He was a "Net Savior", so he was collaborating with the authorities to solve matters regarding Cyber Space… I could try to find his friend… Was he named Ijuuin Enzan – kun? I think so… It's worth a try. _

He typed several commands into the console while making sure nothing was observing him: the machine emitted a low hum and began to charge up: streaks of purple electricity interconnected inside of the ring structure and soon gave way to the portal.

"Iris. I'm going for it." He announced.

"Good luck, Barrel – san!" Both Iris and Trill replied.

Barrel jumped inside of the portal: he found himself at the entrance of a large tube-shaped tunnel extending through absolute blackness: a "force" gripped his body and he was propelled forward.

07:28 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff, huff…"

Barrel panted and looked up: he was standing inside of a storage house's main room with the portal machine behind him: it shut down and turned inactive.

"… It worked. I've got to hurry." He muttered.

He exited on the outside and saw that it was daytime in here: this area looked like part of the port district and rather empty of life.

_A port… Hmmm… I should ask for directions. Thanks to my translation software, I can understand Netto – kun's and his friends' idiom…_

He was about to take a step forward when he spotted the IPC limo coming down the street: he lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

_A limousine… I hadn't seen any of them after the war began._

The limousine suddenly parked and Enzan climbed down while looking stunned.

"Barrel Tai – sa!" He gasped.

"Ijuuin Enzan – kun…?" He asked.

"Eh… Why are you here? Where did you come from?" Enzan asked.

"Ah… True. I'm from… Beyondard." He announced.

"Beyondard? And how did you get to Earth?" Enzan asked.

"Some kind of portal-generating machine… Some people named "Golden Star" had it on the Wily Laboratory."

"Please wait a minute! Golden Star is in Beyondard, then?" Enzan asked, gasping.

"You know them?" He asked.

"We do. They've been battling us non-stop ever since a month ago, more or less. And they kidnapped Netto." Enzan admitted.

"What? They kidnapped Netto – kun?" Barrel gasped.

"Yes, sir… Wait a min. Driver! Please park close by. This is an important matter." Enzan addressed the driver.

"Roger, Vice President."

The limo moved out and both stepped inside of the storage house's main room to look at the machine.

"… Enzan – kun… If you were thinking of coming back along with me, then you can't. Beyondard is under occupation." Barrel warned.

"… So that's what it was about! They deployed their army twice in a nearby city but they always retrieved it after a while… Those were mere deployment tests!" Enzan grasped.

"I see. However… The Wily Laboratory is protected by a "Dimensional Area" and Gun Viruses. I managed to sneak inside by using one of the Dimensional Area Laboratory's "Generators". But…" Barrel brought a hand to his chin.

"Those guys are keeping Netto hostage as deterrent: if we try to catch the leaders, then they don't guarantee his safety." Enzan explained.

"What a cowardly tactic…!" Barrel grumbled.

"Yes, sir. It is." Blues added.

"… I guess there's no other way around. We'll mobilize all ELEVEN "Cross Fusion" users. Please come with me, Tai – sa. We shall speak with the head of the Net Police." Enzan muttered before addressing Barrel.

"Understood. You should send someone to secure the site just in case. It's our only way to get to Beyondard." Barrel nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I'll call some policemen. Let's go: every second and every minute are valuable." Enzan rallied.

"Enzan – sama. I'll patch call to Commissioner Kifune."

"Do that. Netto…! Hang in there…!"

16:16 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 4th…

"… Whoa! That machine ain't a prop?"

"You nitwit!"

"Wha~t?"

The eleven "Cross Fusion" Members had been assembled along with Forte and Beyondard's Barrel: they carried a trolley with several "Copy Roids" piled on it too.

"Oi! Nenjiro!"

Rokushadama had been wondering aloud when Napalm Man had snapped at him, pissing him off.

"That's for real!" Napalm Man told him.

"Che!"

"So… These "Copy Roids" will be used by the Beyondard Operators to fight back the army?" Jasmine asked Enzan.

"Yeah. It's the only way." Enzan confirmed.

"My. Blues looks like a knight today." Meddy teased.

"Maybe." He dully replied.

"We're getting closer to rescuing Netto, Laika." Pride told him.

"That is correct, Princess." Laika politely replied.

"These grunts will feel the iron hit of justice!" Knight Man exclaimed.

"I don't mind working together." Search Man merely told him.

"So… We're gonna see that "Beyondard" place. It sounds worth my time, even." Tesla grinned.

"Didn't you want to show those guys what happens when they laugh at your face?" Airstar rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. That's part of it, anyway." She shrugged.

"Oh, boy…" Gyro Man muttered.

"Yeah. This can end up bad." Magnet Man muttered.

"Golden Star…! We'll bring war to their ugly hideout!" Meiru exclaimed.

"Meiru – chan… A research facility is supposed to be more practical that aesthetic…" Roll rolled her eyes.

"Heh! My tomahawk will guide us!" Dingo boasted.

"Nope." Tomahawk Man replied.

"I can't help but think it looks like the _Ginnungagap_." Shadow Man brought up with some sarcasm.

"Hmmm… The entrance of the Demon World, huh… It sure gives off that vibe." Miyabi muttered.

"Miyabi…" Yuriko grumbled something under her breath.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! I'm itchin' for a battle!" Needle Man exclaimed.

"Hmpf. They can't get away with it." Forte muttered.

"… I suspected it… The Wily Laboratory's coordinates aren't registered… I'll pick the Dimensional Area Laboratory as arrival point. It'll do fine as an operational base." Barrel announced while he typed into the machine's keyboard.

He introduced some coordinates into the machine and it beeped before it it hummed and began to load up: the portal soon formed.

"Let's go! To Beyondard!" Barrel exclaimed.

"HOORAY!"

They all jumped inside one after the other while leaving a five second margin between each person: they all crossed the tunnel in less than a second's time and exited next to the laboratory.

"Whoa! Barrel – san brought help!" Trill exclaimed.

"Oi! Trill! Remember me?" Dingo asked.

"Dingo, Enzan, Laika, Meiru – chan… Huh? Where's Netto?" Trill asked.

"These Golden Star guys caught him and are keeping him hostage… We've come to stop them and rescue him." Enzan admitted.

"What bad guys! Go and beat them!" Trill exclaimed.

"Good luck!" Iris added.

"Okay! Our first move is to aid the Resistance. They've camped close by. We'll give them the "Copy Roids" and they'll distribute them to some Operators. We could pick off some of their choppers and then head over to the Wily Laboratory to strike it." Barrel suggested a course of action.

"I'll activate the "Dimensional Area" when necessary."

"I'll come along. I can try diverting some of their forces." Forte announced.

"Good idea. The others: wait in here and check your Battle Chips. We'll try to be fast." Enzan told them.

"Roger!"

"I've got the vehicle. Let's go!" Barrel rallied.

"Believe, believe… Wilderness God…! Show us the road! Hah!"

Dingo threw his tomahawk and it pointed north.

"Dingo. Everyone's gone south."

"NO WAY!"

"Yay! The silly tomahawk!" Trill giggled.

"This kid…!" Dingo grumbled.

"Are you coming or not?" Forte called out.

"O-oi! Wait for me!"

"That's why I said it wouldn't guide us."

"Oh shut up already!"

16:56 PM (Japan Time)…

"… There. There's about fifty of them plus three M1 Tanks and two Harrier 2 Planes. The Hind-A choppers are parked close by. We should try to seize them. We can pick more in the occupied cities."

The group had been scanning the gorge with binoculars and Enzan had pointed out a plan a while later.

"Forte is on his way there, right?" Laika asked.

"Yeah. He should be about to jump into the fray." Enzan confirmed.

"Good." Barrel merely replied.

There was an explosion and the sound of gunfire which headed towards the east.

"Good! Iris! The "Dimensional Area2!" Barrel told her over the PET.

"Yes, sir! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

The "Dimensional Area" was deployed over the gorge, so both Enzan and Laika stood up.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

They both performed "Cross Fusion" and jumped into the fray: the Navis looked confused and disorganized and Forte could be seen at the east end of the gorge: he was slicing and blowing them up.

"Scope Gun!"

"Sonic Boom!"

The attacks blasted them: they heard the whistle of the Harrier 2 Planes and the rumbling of the M1 Tanks.

"Laika! Take care of the tanks. The sky is my stuff!" "CF" Blues commanded to "CF" Laika.

"Okay!"

"Jet Vernier!"

"CF" Blues jumped into the air and attracted the attention of the Harrier 2 Planes: he jumped in top of them and plunged a Long Sword into their engine while leading them to collide against the "Dimensional Area" thus blowing up.

"Harriers: down."

"CF" Laika led the tanks to aim for the empty west end and then shot at their cannon barrels while they were reloading, thus destroying them from the inside.

"Tanks: down."

Barrel checked on the Resistance members in the meanwhile.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Barrel Tai – sa! Excellent… You brought help!" Masked Commander exclaimed.

"Yeah. Listen. We'll give you devices to materialize Navis. We must confiscate at least two of the enemy's flying machines to free the other cities." Barrel explained.

"Good!"

They ran outside: Forte had brought three "Copy Roids" and then jumped to deal with another squad hidden in a cave.

"Plug In! Shark Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Wood Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Skull Man, Transmission!"

"Fin Cutter!"

"Woody Tower!"

"Bone Stalker!"

The whole army platoon was destroyed and the "Dimensional Area" was released: Enzan and Laika retrieved their Link PETs and smiled.

"We'll be taking one. Use the other and start freeing the cities! We'll go fight the enemies at the Wily Laboratory." Barrel announced.

"Okay! People! Move it!" Masked Commander exclaimed.

"YEAH!"

Forte, Enzan and Laika climbed into the Hind-A while Barrel used the car to head back.

"Remember, Commander! Bring a second of these to the "Dimensional Area Laboratory"!" Barrel reminded.

"Okay! Don't forget your _calcium_, boys!"

"Heh. He told me and Dingo that once we departed." Laika suddenly brought up with a smile.

"Guess so." Enzan shrugged.

"… Puff! Puff! Volcano Charge!"

"Go! Charge Man!"

Charge Man rammed into a group of soldiers trying to shoot him and attack some others with his burning coal projectiles shot from his fummel: they landed as meteors across the ground and hit the enemies.

"Panic Train!"

Three carriages materialized and rammed into another group of soldiers and an M1 Tank, tossing it to the ground.

"The final blow! Crazy Locomotive!"

He rammed into the tank and pushed it into the sky, hitting the two Harrier 2 Planes and destroying them.

"Good job, Charge Man! You expelled the invaders!" Kurogana exclaimed with a smile.

"Puff! Puff! Hah! Rubbish. Learn your lesson!" He exclaimed.

"… Triple Edge!"

"Slash 'em up! Slash Man!"

Slash Man materialized three _kunai_ and shot them at the soldiers, blowing them up with ease.

"Rolling Slasher!"

He turned into a tornado and shot into the sky, passing past two Harrier 2 Planes which exploded on his wake.

"Outta the way!"

He then headed for a M1 Tank: one hatch was open and a Galleon was trying to hit him with the mounted machinegun.

"Wide Slash!"

He cut the gunner into pieces before he jumped inside of the tank and did the same thing with the other gunner and the pilot.

"Hah! Vermin!" Faran exclaimed.

"Hmpf. It was worth a heating up."

"… Tengu Thrust!"

Tengu Man's nose tore through a row of two soldiers and even hit the round inside of a M1 Tank's gun barrel, blowing it up.

"Hum!"

He then jumped into the air and used his hands to disable the Harrier 2 Planes' engines, causing them to blow up.

"Hum!" He announced.

"Ho, ho, ho! What a thrill! Ho, ho, ho!" Fuuten Roushi laughed.

"… Rock Crush Breaker!"

"Dust Break!"

"Give 'em a beatin' up! Ground Man!"

"All power hit with them! De gozaru!"

The two machine Navis easily rammed through the lot of enemies and destroyed them.

"Horray~!"

"Yahoo~!"

Dust Man jumped in top of a Harrier 2 and plunged his right arm through it before jumping away.

"Too easy!"

The M1 Tank shot a round but Ground Man rammed into it: the tank rolled down a nearby hill until it hit the ground with violence and exploded.

"Hah! Good job, Ground Man! Ya beat 'em up to a pulp!" Horisugi laughed.

"A victory sweet sure it was! De gozaru! Dust Man!" Press added while clapping.

"I needed a thrill!" Ground Man exclaimed.

"Pity: their junk could've been extremely useful!" Dust Man added.

"… Hell's Sickle!"

"Slaughter them, Killer Man."

Killer Man easily disposed of a squad advancing through a forest while Dark Kirisaki looked on.

"No – one steals freedom from people." He muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"… Oi~! We brought over the second flying machine!"

"Good!"

Three Hind-A choppers touched down and the "Cross Fusion" users distributed between the two of them and the car.

"Let's go! Our goal is the Wily Laboratory!" Forte rallied.

17:04 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Oriol – sama! Calamity!"

"Calamity?"

Legato ran inside of a room in the Wily Laboratory: Kuroshiro was going over a map with Shade and Slur.

"The "Cross Fusion" members…They're here!"

"WHAT?" The three of them exclaimed.

"Our invasion is being fought back! They brought "Copy Roids" for the Operators to use! They're confiscating the Hind-A choppers and heaving over _here_!" He reported.

"Shit." Shade cursed, for once.

"Foolish mortals…" Slur muttered.

"We'll have to bring out the rebuilt "Zoanoroids" and our own Navis and "Cross Fusion" users…"

"Heh! Video Man will film their defeat and it'll go down in history!" Video Man exclaimed.

"Don't be so over-confident." Cosmo Man told him.

"We heard the scandal… It's about time we got serious." Kage announced as he walked in.

"We'll bury 'em under this sand." Andy looked evil.

"Golden Star's victory will come to happen." Zarashe added.

"Or should we say… The _Dark Side_'s victory?" Beta X suggested with a grin on his face.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…" Legato sounded evil.

"Hmmm… We will be serious. But we should build our defense upon being able to retreat to the 3rd hideout we've prepared in case of a major emergency." Shade decided.

"Besides… We could use _this_." Kuroshiro announced.

He opened a suitcase and took out what looked like a shotgun modified to hold a small cylinder with a cone-like extension on it: the thing had some wires attached to the slot where the clip would be loaded at.

"What's that? It looks like a _Star Wars_ rip-off…" Kage frowned under his sunglasses.

"It's an experimental EM weapon: Twilight came up with it but never got to build it... This babe can cause intense EM radiation capable of knocking out a person for at least a whole hour. The only flaw is that it takes a lot of energy so you can only fire it twice before you have to place a new battery and charge it up during a full hour." Kuroshiro explained.

"It's a last resource, then…" Andy guessed.

"_Mademoiselle_! Please unleash the feral and blood-thirsting beasts upon the mortal fools." Shade gallantly requested of Slur.

"Interesting. There shall be manslaughter and the sand shall become tinted with blood." Slur looked amused and deadly.

"Those guys want to have a siege? We'll give them one: _the Empire Strikes Back_!"

"We will not go down so easily. I'm itching to get rid of the skinny lookalike." Legato announced with a creepy smile.

"Heh, heh, heh! And I'll record their demises for all eternity! And I'm glad those ugly DVDs and Blu-Rays don't exist here: my video is supreme and rules them all!" Video Man laughed.

"Sure, sure." Andy was unimpressed.

"Don't get cocky, you fool." Cosmo Man scolded.

"Let them be." Slur formed an evil smile.

"Yikes. She gives me the vibes." Beta X muttered.

"Go! We'll fight to the end! Come! "Net Saviors"!"


	28. Chapter 28: Siege

**Chapter 28: Siege**

17:15 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 4th…

"… There! 12 o'clock!"

The Hind-A choppers' occupants could see the unmistakable mole of the Wily Laboratory right ahead.

"The Wily Laboratory…" Enzan muttered.

"It's been half a year already… But this was the place from which the war ended." Laika muttered.

"Yeah… The final battle…" Dingo muttered.

"Luckily, Wily won't get in the way this time around." Meiru commented in a relieved tone of voice.

"Heh, heh, heh… Killer Beam!"

"Wha!"

"Zoan Dark Man's come!"

"That guy…!"

A "Zoanoroid" had suddenly appeared on the sky and attacked the chopper which had managed to dodge by mere inches by swinging to the right.

This "Zoanoroid", named Dark Man, looked about a meter and ninety tall: he wore a purple half-open cloak over his body the edges of which were colored purple: its main color was navy blue.

Two large "horns" emerged from cyan circles around his shoulders: the circles had a small arrow pointing east and west respectively: these "horns" were colored in a brownish/blackish patch of color: his cloak formed a curved shape around the head which aimed downwards in a 45º angle.

His head emerged from a neck-guard which had a shape reminiscent of a badly drawn Alphabet "U" letter.

His mouth and nose were covered by white bandages and the rest of his head was set inside of a small glass dome: his eyes didn't have irises and they were colored yellow: they seemed to be slightly elongated and curved rectangles instead.

The center of the cloak had his emblem drawn on it which acted like the connecting point for both halves: the drawing was similar to the top part of an axe with short spears point up and down: the whole set was painted in a navy blue color: a small grayish piece was set beneath it: the piece seemed to indicate the end of the upper body.

The legs were colored on that brownish/blackish color, too: the boots had an upper navy blue edge with three sapphire-colored diamonds set on them: the lower half was colored purple and ended just as the place where the tooth fingers should begin at: the feet ended in one single triangle-shaped extension: a small one emerged beneath the feet and seemed to be used as additional support.

"Heh, heh, heh… Zoan Yamato Man fights!"

"Zoan" Yamato Man was identical to the "Asteroid" Yamato Man which had showed up on Earth during the "Duo Crisis" but his design had changed.

His helmet's forehead had that "star" symbol the "Greiga Form" Rock Man had: a flame was burning there while the sides of his face plate gained tooth-like shapes.

His hands and feet gained a "feral" look to them too and his whole waist-line had become a circular jaw on its own.

He sported two blades which were shining with purple energy as well on both hands.

"Damn it."

"Hah! Zoan Guts Man will bury them."

"The smart-lass!" Meiru grumbled.

"Sure…"

"Zoan" Guts Man used purple colors for his body and he looked more intelligent than the Eart Guts Man given his speech: he'd gained a tail extension and a "feral" form too.

"Hah! "Zoan" Snake Man will overwhelm them."

This version of Snake Man had different colors too, which were brighter than original Snake Man's ones: he looked smug.

"Hah! "Zoan" Cloud Man beats them with ease!"

"And "Zoan" Swallow Man too!"

These two "Zoanoroids" could only be told apart from their counterparts by their emblems, which had been replaced by the Golden Star logo, and Swallow Man's "feral" design with some kind of mask over his eyes and improved body design.

"Zoan Spark Man will recycle 'em!"

This "Zoan" Spark Man used brown for the color pallete and his eyes turned into yellow dots uncapable of displaying emotion.

"Zoan Number Man calculates the chances of their demises!"

"Zoan" Number Man used a brighter color pallete than original Number Man and he'd gained a more "feral" look as well like his companions: he sounded smug, even.

"Heh, heh, heh. Zoan Plant Man will suck off their energy."

This "Zoan" Plant Man used a different shade of green and a different shade of pink to be told apart and looked cocky.

"Hah! Zoan Quick Man's speed is unmatchable!"

This "Zoan" Quick Man had his "bestialize form" activated already: it included large daggers over his forearms and a tail.

"Zoan Junk Man! Junk!"

What defined "Zoan" Junk Man apart were his eviler look and speech as well as his mean face.

"Zoan Stone Man!"

"Zoan" Stone Man was swinging his body around while having transformed into his "feral mode" which seemed to grant him further agility.

"Rubbish!" Forte cursed.

"Iris! Deploy a "Dimensional Area" around us!" Barrel commanded.

"Roger! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

A second Dimensional Area formed while the choppers landed on the ground.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Eleven persons exclaimed.

"Swallow Drive!"

"Darkness Overload!"

The attack hit "Zoan" Swallow Man as he dived towards Forte and easily blew him up.

"Huh? Already? It'd seem they're just here to stall for time…" He muttered with some surprise on his voice.

"Snake Bite!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"CF" Blues sliced Snake Man in half as he tried to shoot out of his vase towards him.

"Hmpf. Rubbish." He scoffed.

"True, Enzan – sama." Blues added.

"Killer Beam!"

"Whoa!"

"CF" Rokushadama dodged at the very last second but didn't spot "Zoan" Dark Man around the area.

"Where did the jerk…?"

Some bats flew out of nowhere and he reformed behind him all of a sudden.

"Dark Shadow!"

He formed a purplish axe which was thrown and hit "CF" Rokushadama: he groaned but pulled it out nevertheless.

"Fire Punch!"

"CF" Rokushadama jumped out of the axe's way and hit "Zoan" Dark Man on the chest with the Fire Punch: he roared and blew up.

"Heh! Easy!"

"Hmpf! That's because you bothered to think!" Napalm Man told him with obvious mockery.

"Wha~t?"

"… Cross Thunder!"

"Target: Lock On! Tornado Arm!"

"CF" Airstar shot his attack at Cloud Man while dodging his attack: it tore a hole on his body and he opened his mouth wide before he blew up in a thousand bits.

"Laser!"

"Yikes!"

"CF" Meiru ducked to dodge "Zoan" Stone Man's attack and he hit the ground instead: "CF" Meiru stood up and jumped into the air.

"Roll Arrow!"

The Roll Arrow plunged into a glowing dot on his forehead and he quickly exploded.

"Hah! That's for trying to pull the same trick twice on a normal girl like me!" She exclaimed.

"…"Normal"… No way." Roll sounded exasperated.

"Shockwave!"

"Huh! The clever lookalike is back!"

"Very funny."

"CF" Dingo dodged Guts Man's attack and made a comment of his own which Tomahawk Man didn't like.

"Tomahawk Swing!"

He hit the forehead and left a deep cut on it: Guts Man roared in agony as he collapsed with his back on the ground and exploded.

"Not so clever anymore, it'd seem." "CF" Dingo laughed.

"Yeah, yeah…" Tomahawk Man didn't sound amused in the least.

"… Zoan Boomerang!"

"Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile!"

"CF" Tesla jumped over "Zoan" Quick Man's attack and she shot three Mag Missiles at the guy, bombarding him and blowing him up.

"Hah! That's the same I did for that Cosmo Man guy." She laughed and sounded proud of it.

"… I better not comment." Magnet Man muttered.

"… Plant Weed!"

"Scope Gun!"

"CF" Laika easily dodged the weeds and his shot cleaved through "Zoan" Plant Man's forehead, killing him.

"This guy looks like a psycho to me." He muttered.

"Che. They never know when to stay dead." Search Man muttered with some annoyance.

"… Spark Ball!"

"Kingdom Crusher!"

"CF" Pride gracefully dodged the spheroid summoned by "Zoan" Spark Man and the Kingdom Crusher cleaved through his bulky body: he opened his eyes wide and shrieked in agony.

"This is for Netto!" She exclaimed.

"And this was for Rock Man!" Knight Man added.

"Thousand Spear!"

"Needle Cannon!"

"CF" Yuriko's attacks connected with Yamato Man, who'd been plunging forward: they knocked him into the ground and annihilated him.

"Che! We've gotta hurry: every second counts! Out of the way, you rubbish!" She cursed.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah, shah! Let's turn 'em into scrap!" Needle Man added.

"Junk Cube!"

"Medical Attack!"

"CF" Meddy dodged the Junk Cube and shot the two spheroids at the opponent, pushing him back and making him be wrecked.

"I can't stand people who throw junk in the forests!" She exclaimed with some annoyance.

"True! They're bad for the health!" Meddy added.

"Number _Tenbou_!"

"Shadow Blade!"

Number Man tried to block "CF" Miyabi with the white stick, but "CF" Miyabi quickly made several cuts to his body before kicking him in the lower jaw and plunging his sword through his chest: he was turned into bits and bytes afterwards.

"Phew! We did it." Barrel sighed in relief.

The Wily Laboratory's "Dimensional Area" was brought down and the "Dimensional Generator" retreated inside of the building.

"What?"

The Gun Viruses began to shell the terrain, catching the "Cross Fusion" users unaware while they were recovering and knocking half of them out of the fight: Jasmine, Rokushadama, Dingo, Tesla, Airstar and Pride.

"Damn! I forgot about those!" Barrel cursed.

"Tai – sa! Please take shelter!" "CF" Blues requested.

"Che! Satellite Ray! Scope Gun!" "CF" Laika grumbled.

"Needle Cannon!"

"_Shuriken_ Needles!"

The three attacks blew up several of the Gun Viruses.

"Cosmo Gate!"

"Wind Cutter!"

Cosmo Man and Video Man came out next: Cosmo Man opened his gate and began to shoot down spheroids while Video Man snuck on "CF" Meiru and hit her with the video tape roll.

"Ya~h!"

She hit the ground in a hard manner and groaned.

"Loading!"

Video Man began to wrap his video tape around her and reel it in.

"Heh, heh ,heh… Struggle! Make a good finale!" He laughed.

"Sonic Boom!"

The attack sliced his video tape and something picked "CF" Meiru and warped away: "CF" Blues.

"No way! My precious tape…!"

"Earth Breaker!"

The blast hit Video Man fully and he was forced to de-materialize while "CF" Blues checked on "CF" Meiru.

"UA~H! I hate dismissals!"

"Sakurai! Are you okay?"

"Uh… Air…! Air…! Ah… Ah… What a…! That damned creep wanted to strangle me…! What a…!" "CF" Meiru coughed and then began to curse.

"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!" "CF" Yuriko announced as she aimed it at the Cosmo Gate.

The blast entered the Cosmo Gate and collapsed it.

"Cosmo Ring!"

The attack hit her from ahead and cracked her chest emblem, kicking her out of "Cross Fusion": Cosmo Man showed his hide and landed on the ground while picking the Cosmo Ring back.

"Why, you…! Shadow Blade!"

"Cosmo Buster!"

"CF" Miyabi tried to attack Cosmo Man, but the small planets shot by him blocked him: two or three hit "CF" Miyabi and provoked the breaking up of his "Cross Fusion" next.

"Heh, heh, heh. Learn the taste of your own powerlessness, foolish _ninja _ herd descendant."

"Darkness Overload!"

The attack caught Cosmo Man off-guard and damaged him enough to force him to flee.

"Guo~h!"

"Go! We must storm the insides!" "CF" Blues rallied.

They ran up the hill but suddenly a row of M1 tanks formed in front of them and began to shell the terrain: Barrel jumped into a crevice out of sight on the sand while the others jumped and dispersed.

"Knock, knock." Someone announced.

Some legions of Galleon soldiers showed up next and they began to shoot their machinegun salvoes at them.

"Grah! They're desperate!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"Satellite Ray!"

"Laika – sama: careful, sir! Behind, sir!"

"CF" Laika quickly turned around and deleted a Galleon carrying a spear similar to Yamato Man's by shooting through the head: the helmet then shattered and showed up Laika's own dead face.

"What, some trick to scare me? It's an optical illusion. Die."

He shot through the torso next and blew it up: he spotted Forte clashing blades with another carrying a motor-saw on their hands which was already working.

"Che! Air Burst!"

He bombarded the enemy to push them back and suddenly cut off their hands: he picked the saw and swung it to slice them in half from the NW shoulder to the right hip: it blew up and a dry chuckle rang out.

"Eat Triple Bomb!"

"CF" Blues shot them at the gunners and the bombs fell inside of the tanks, taking them out from the insides.

"Enough wasted time! Let's go!"

"Roger, Enzan – sama!"

"The south door is ahead! Let's break through it!" Barrel rallied.

_The final assault! Let's go!_


	29. Chapter 29: Final assault

**Chapter 29: Final Assault**

17:39 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 4th…

"… There! We're in!"

"CF" Blues, "CF" Laika, "CF" Meiru and Forte blew up the south gate and ran into the central room: it was empty and unlit.

"Welcome to the Golden Star HQ!"

"This'll be you guys' cemetery!"

"Heh, heh, heh… How fitting, Enzan!"

"Foolish mortals…"

The group stopped dead on its tracks as Legato, Slur, "CF" Zarashe and "CF" Kage dropped in from a higher level and stood in front of them.

"Legato!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"Zarashe!" "CF" Laika cursed.

"Kage!" "CF" Meiru cursed.

"Slur!" Forte cursed.

"Okay, so… Legato. Take care of Ijuuin: it's personal. I'll pick our little "tomboy" missy and Zarashe can pick the Sharo Nation guy, whatever his name is. Ms. Slur will settle it with Forte." "CF" Kage suggested.

"I like that plan." Andy announced.

"Heh, heh, heh… This time I'll win! Enzan!" Legato announced as he drew a Variable Sword.

"Forte. Your person shall be thrown into the _Naraku_." Slur announced as she drew her yellow sword.

"A Sharo Nation "Net Savior"… Interesting!" "CF" Zarashe commented.

"Let's blow 'em up!" Beta X rallied.

"Long Blade!"

"Yo-yo!"

"CF" Zarashe jumped towards "CF" Laika, who dodged and tried to aim for him while rolling across the ground.

"Scope Gun!"

The Yo-yo shot by "CF" Kage coiled around "CF" Meiru's lower torso and immobilized her as he reeled it in.

"What did you say before? That you wouldn't fall twice for the same trick? It'd seem you've contradicted yourself." "CF" Kage taunted.

"You…! It's the men's toilet fault!" "CF" Meiru snapped.

"You lowered your guard, Meiru – chan…" Roll sounded exasperated.

"That stuff again…? Jeez." Andy sounded exasperated.

"CF" Meiru suddenly gasped and narrowed her eyes.

"Andy!" "CF" Kage gasped.

"Damn." Andy hissed.

"Huh? What's going on?" "CF" Blues wondered as he struggled in a deadlock with Legato.

"There's no need for you to know, Enzan! You'll soon be dead and that old man won't care about it. He'll pretend you'd never existed, anyway! He's colder than Antarctica!" Legato taunted.

"Grah!" "CF" Blues hissed.

"You lowlife!" Blues growled.

"That's more like you, skinny lookalike. Come!" Legato taunted.

"Who's the "skinny lookalike"?" "CF" Blues questioned with obvious annoyance on his voice.

"Your hide is." Legato replied.

"Your hair is!" "CF" Blues shot back.

"Heh. That attitude defines you, Enzan."

"Dark Arm Blade!"

"Futile."

Forte struggled in the deadlock with Slur: she looked bored and had no trouble holding him at bay.

"I have said it: you can only use 28% of your power." She announced.

"It'll be enough!" He shot back.

"Foolish mortal. You do not realize. It is the will of Fate itself." She proclaimed.

"Shit!" Forte growled.

Slur calmly used her left hand to bombard Forte with energy spheres and pushed him back before she kicked him in the lower jaw and propelled him into the ground.

"Hmpf."

"Damn."

"… Scope Gun!"

"Hell's Burner!"

"CF" Laika dodged "CF" Zarashe's attack and tried to shoot at him, but he also dodged just in time.

"Hah! This is nothin'! And be glad we didn't bring the Hind-D." "CF" Zarashe laughed.

"Damn." "CF" Laika hissed.

"So… Wanna go to the disco, tomboy?" "CF" Kage taunted.

"Who's the "tomboy"…? I know who you are!" "CF" Meiru replied while being unimpressed.

"You don't." He quickly replied.

"Jeez! I dunno what they've done to your head but there's only one guy who knows about what happened in the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator!"

Legato suddenly gasped and looked nervous as he directed his sight at "CF" Kage.

"… Something's going on." "CF" Blues guessed.

"Damn! That bothersome woman…!" He hissed.

"I dunno what the men's toilet and the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator have to do with this, but it sounds like Kage isn't who he claims to be… Ain't that right?" "CF" Blues exposed.

"Silence! I shall annihilate you lowlifes! Groa~h!"

The infamous "Dark Aura" appeared around Legato's body and he charged up his Neo Variable, which turned black.

"Uh-oh. Problems." "CF" Blues muttered.

"… Lemme go, you…!" "CF" Meiru cursed.

"… Be silenced." He coolly replied.

"Hell's Rolling!"

"CF" Kage gasped as the two purple indented wheels ran across the floor: one of them cut the connecting string while the other freed "CF" Meiru, who jumped away.

"What?"

Forte had returned to clashing blades with Slur but had been able to shoot the attack out, nevertheless.

"Okay! You! Behave yourself!" "CF" Meiru told "CF" Kage.

"I don't take orders from anyone! I am the strongest! I've evolved! I'm no longer an idiot!" He hissed.

"Miquel – kun…!" Andy growled.

"Damn. Bothersome woman." He growled.

"Hmpf! Bothersome man!" "CF" Meiru taunted.

"Yeah, yeah!" Roll added.

"Enough! Sword Fighter X! Double Slot In!"

"CF" Kage drew two slightly curved and indented blades and delivered twelve quick slashes to "CF" Meiru before he plunged both of them into the chest emblem.

"Kya~h!"

She was forced out of "Cross Fusion" and collapsed into the ground: "CF" Kage, however, looked rather annoyed and had seemingly overworked himself.

"Oi! You overdid it! Your physical condition has greatly deteriorated, Miquel – kun! The "Cross Fusion" won't hold on for much longer if you try to do such a thing again!" Andy scolded.

"Damn. I know that's true, but…! I couldn't hold myself back!" "CF" Kage cursed.

"… Kage Miquel." Slur called out.

"Y-yes, ma'am?" He asked in a rush while sounding nervous.

Slur had directed one of her icy glares at him and he stood firm like he expected to be punished.

"It is not of my authority. But you should behave yourself. You are making a fool of yourself." She icily told him.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He quickly replied.

"… Step back: all of you." She commanded.

The three men complied without discussing while Slur lifted her left arm and drew the dreaded red circle.

"Shit." "CF" Blues growled.

"Hmpf."

The explosion ensued and the three remaining fighters were pushed back until they hit the walls in a violent manner.

"Damn. Not yet!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"We can… still… fight!" "CF" Laika hissed.

"The outcome… ain't settled… yet!" Forte hissed.

"Hmpf. Bothersome foolish ones. You shall be met with the _Naraku_'s unimaginable pain and suffering." She icily announced.

"Yeah! Take this!" Someone exclaimed.

Forte suddenly clutched his head and fell to his knees while his body frizzled and he uttered some groans.

"W-what the…! What's… this pain…? This sensation…?" Forte cursed.

"Hmpf. Forte. You're experiencing our new weapon!"

He looked up to the higher level balcony to see Kuroshiro aiming that strange gun at him.

"Y-you lowlife…!" He cursed.

"Umbra!" "CF" Blues gasped.

"I'm not Umbra anymore! I'm Kuroshiro Oriol!" He exclaimed.

"… Laika – sama. I can detect a large amount of EM energy around Forte's body being emitted by that gun Kuroshiro holds." Search Man reported.

"Damn. A secret weapon…!" "CF" Laika cursed.

"Once more should do it! Let pain destroy your mind!"

He pressed the trigger and Forte's yells turned louder while his body kept on frizzling.

"Samurai Sword!"

"CF" Laika dashed towards Kuroshiro, but "CF" Zarashe blocked him by drawing an identical Samurai Sword: they began to struggle.

"You're my opponent!" "CF" Zarashe exclaimed.

"You're in the way!" "CF" Laika shot back.

"Whatever."

"… Hmpf. Battery ran out… _Mademoiselle_! Please grant the finishing blow to such a pathetic Net Navi." Kuroshiro muttered before addressing Slur in a courteous manner.

"Gladly."

She drew her sword and aimed it towards Forte's chest emblem.

"It is over."

She then began to plunge towards there but Forte gripped the sword and actually broke it with his mere gloved hand as he stood up all of a sudden while looking like he was at top shape.

"What?" Slur gasped.

"No way!" Kuroshiro gasped.

"That guy can still fight?" "CF" Kage wondered.

"CF" Blues tried to head for Kuroshiro, but Legato got in the way.

"Enzan! You lowlife! Attacking Noir – sama in such a cowardly way… Don't think I'll let it slip!" He roared.

"Well, well,. Kuroshiro is the one who attacked Forte in a dirty way to begin with." "CF" Blues shot back.

"Grah! Get lost!" Legato hissed.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Slur drew her right arm, but Forte left a dent on it as he hit it with his Dark Arm Blade: Slur gasped.

"… Impossible! His power… It has risen to 59%!" She gasped.

"Yeah! I dunno how. But now I can turn the tables!" Forte confirmed.

"… No way! This thing did it?" Kuroshiro gasped as he looked at the discharged weapon.

"… Kuroshiro – kun! The portal is ready!" Shade called out through a wireless radio.

"The situation has suddenly turned ugly! Maybe it won't be such a bad idea to pull back, after all." He reported.

"Darkness Overload!"

The blast hit Slur and she shrieked: some wounds and bruises formed on her body and she panted.

"Huh…! E-even at barely 60%... This one… could damage me…! DAMN YOU…!" She cursed.

"No way!" "CF" Zarashe gasped.

He lost concentration and "CF" Laika suddenly hit his chest emblem, forcing him out of "Cross Fusion".

"Heh!"

"Grua~h!"

"Hang in there, Zarashe – kun!"

Zarashee gasped and quickly picked his Link PET but his "Synchro Chip" was broken.

"Damn. I'm off!" He cursed.

"I'll remember this!" Beta X threatened.

Zarashe ran off and "CF" Laika then looked at "CF" Kage, who was seemingly trying to do something given how he interacted with his "Cross Fusion" body.

"I'm telling you not to! You'll push yourself to the limit!"

"Whatever! It's the only way to beat them! Engage the Ryuusei Form! It's an order!" "CF" Kage snapped back.

"I won't listen to any order which puts your physical integrity in danger: I'll never do!" Andy shot back.

"Grah! This isn't a time to be soft, Andy! We've gotta go all out!" He exclaimed.

"Miquel – kun! Don't push it! If Andy says no then you can't!" Kuroshiro called out.

"But! Oriol!" "CF" Kage argued.

"I'm worried about you, too! So don't push it!"

"CF" Blues suddenly seemed to have realized something, given how he looked behind Legato at Kuroshiro and then at "CF" Kage.

"… So that's what it was about!" He exclaimed.

"Crap!"

"Shit." Legato growled.

"Get ready!" Forte challenged.

"Che! Die!"

She spread her arms open and created energy mass on her hands which then expanded into an explosion which swept the area around them: but Forte had jumped into the air.

"Earth Breaker!"

He hit Slur, who had to bring out her left arm to shield herself: the explosion pushed her back and caused more bruises to show up on her body: she looked exhausted by now.

"DAMN YOU, YOU FOOL!"

Kuroshiro made a grimace: he dropped the useless weapon and clenched his right fist while shaking it and he was seemingly enraged with something given his expression.

"… Whatever!" He exclaimed.

Legato gasped and looked over there, so "CF" Blues used the chance to hit his chest emblem with the Long Blade he'd drawn and his body frizzled. He growled and stepped back.

"Damn! The materialization program…!" He hissed.

"I'm so gonna kill someone!" "CF" Kage roared.

"No way! We're not killers, Miquel – kun!" Andy gasped.

"Freeze Bullet!"

"CF" Laika shot at his feet and stopped his movements before he could do anything: "CF" Kage cursed under his breath and crouched to try to rip the ice off.

"Shit! This thing…!"

"CF" Laika dashed in front of him and plunged the Samurai Sword into him.

"Groa~h!"

"Ya~h!"

His "Cross Fusion" form frizzled with electricity and he clutched his head as he collapsed into knees and then into the ground.

"Ugru~h…"

"Hrah…"

The form then broke apart and the Link PET reformed, ejecting the "Synchro Chip", which had gotten broken.

"Legato! The experiment is a success! Code 111!" Kuroshiro commanded while seemingly holding back his frustration.

"… Yes, sir! Have at you, Enzan!"

Legato dashed away while Kuroshiro ran off alongside him.

"Mortal fools! This is not the end! It is the beginning of an eternal conflict between "justice" and "ambition"!" Slur exclaimed while looking angered.

She ran away at top speed and drew her sword to cut a string over the basement door's entrance: a heavy metal shutter fell down and sealed it off.

"Wait!"

They then heard the hum of the portal machine for a while before it disappeared.

"… It's over?" Forte asked.

"… Yeah. Guess so. Cross Out!" Laika replied.

"Cross Out!"

Both Net Saviors picked their Link PETs while Enzan crouched next to Kage and tested his pulse.

"He's lost consciousness. And he'll need a brain scan. I'm sure there's something on it." He muttered.

"What?" Laika frowned.

"… Then…" Forte muttered.

Enzan merely nodded to confirm while the other two gasped in surprise and seemed to have realized something important.

"Enzan – sama. It'd seem the companions outside are recovering and heading for here, sir." Blues reported.

"Good enough. Are any of you terribly wounded?"

"Not really…" Laika replied.

"Nothing grave." Search Man added.

"But, Ijuuin… What you just said…" Forte brought up.

"Yeah. I'll now explain."

"We've been fooled but the deception is over." Blues sighed.

_I promised I'd come. And here I am…!_


	30. Chapter 30: Truth

**Chapter 30: Truth**

17:51 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 4th…

"… Man! What a day!"

The three of them turned around and saw the eight "Cross Fusion" users coming in while looking somewhat beaten up: Meiru moaned and began to awaken.

"Typical of you… Charlie." Tesla told him.

"What… Not again…" Airstar grumbled.

"It's the men's toilet curse!" Meiru cursed.

"No… Why won't you get it?" Roll sighed in defeat.

"Whoa! What a thing!" Rokushadama whistled in surprise.

"I feel exhausted." Pride muttered.

"Those plebeians…" Miyabi grumbled.

"They should tell them they're fired." Yuriko cursed.

"I feel hungry." Dingo commented.

"No surprise!" Jasmine told him.

"It'd seem everyone is fine." Laika commented.

"Yeah. So it'd seem." Enzan distractedly replied.

"But… Enzan. This guy is…?" Forte asked him.

"Does anyone have a water canteen?" Enzan asked.

"I do." Barrel announced as he came in.

"Thank you, Tai – sa."

Enzan unscrewed the cap and soaked his hands with some of it: he then began to rummage with Kage's hair and stepped back.

"Well?"

They gasped: messy brunette brown hair could be seen beneath it and that hair was recognizable even if it had been held down by a hairbrush and fastener.

"That hair… I knew it!" Meiru uttered.

"Yeah. There never was any "Kage Miquel". It was an illusion. He's been, from the very beginning, Hikari Netto." Enzan confirmed.

Everyone gasped again.

"Then… "Andy" was…" Yuriko muttered.

"Rock Man." Blues gasped.

"But, in his case, they did get to alter his code and programming… I guess there must be some kind of program. For the time being… Let's get into the basement and use their machine to head back to Earth." Enzan replied before standing up.

"You saved our world again. How can we thank you?" Barrel asked.

"There's no need for that, sir. We help those in trouble." Enzan politely replied.

"Ah! Is that… Netto? Netto~!"

"Wait! Trill!"

They turned, surprised, as Trill ran in and stopped next to Netto: Iris followed him.

"I am sorry, Barrel – san. But Trill claimed he could feel a familiar resonance of his program and wanted to confirm it…" Iris explained to Barrel.

"But… Why did he change his look? And Saito looks too different as well! Trill is puzzled!" Trill exclaimed.

"… Long story short: the bad guys messed with his thoughts." Enzan summed up.

"What! What terrible bad guys!" Trill gasped.

"They've run. And the machine doesn't say where to." Forte reported as he suddenly returned from having removed the shutter.

"It doesn't matter. This time we've really inflicted a heavy blow to them. And thanks to your sudden increase in power, they're not so "overwhelmingly" powerful anymore." Laika told him.

"I guess we'll set up a guard here and check on the machine: we don't want them slipping back here when they want to." Barrel suggested.

"That'd be a good idea." Meiru commented.

"Dingo! Give me a hand." Enzan called out.

"Okay…"

Dingo and Enzan subjected the unconscious Netto and stood up by having him lean on their shoulders.

"… Will Netto and Saito be fine, Enzan?" Trill asked.

"Yeah. They'll be. And one day they'll come say hi and play with you. That's a promise." Enzan smiled at him.

"Then Trill will be a good guy and wait for Netto and Saito!" Trill exclaimed with a smile.

"… Please take care." Iris told them.

"Good-bye, friends of Beyondard." Barrel announced.

"Good-bye!" Everyone replied.

"Good luck!" Trill added.

"Alright! Believe, believe… Wilderness God: show us the road! Hrah!"

CLANG!

"Aha-hah! West!" Dingo grinned.

"Dingo. You're being left behind." Tomahawk Man sighed.

"E~H! OI~! WAIT FOR ME~! UWA~H!"

20:04 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Your suspicions were true, Enzan – kun. Netto _has_ a chip implanted on his brain."

"Is that so? Then that explains it all."

Yuuichirou was speaking with Enzan while Netto was undergoing a physical examination via the radiation therapy device: Meijin was working on restoring Saito to normal close by.

"I guess there must be a way of accessing it." Enzan brought up.

"Yeah. It'd seem it's designed for easy management once you pick off the bandwidth of it. It has a cell phone-like bandwidth, so it's not too hard to pick it up." Yuuichirou replied as he typed into the computer.

"I suspect that his perceptions have simply been "turned around": he thought of us as enemies and of them as allies."

"… How is Saito like?" Blues asked.

"It's nothing grave. The big change is this bulky program adjacent to his "Ultimate Program": it had to be carefully compressed to allow for the other program to install: it contains this "Ryuusei Form" we've already experienced and the new avatar configuration. There was a small backdoor spyware program which was the one messing around with his thoughts and linking them to Netto – kun's, thus creating a closed feed-like circuit." Meijin explained as he sipped some coffee.

"Maybe… The "device" Kabase overheard about meant the chip implant and not the "Dimensional Converters"…" Enzan guessed.

"It's a possibility. And I'll guess I'll have to be along with him when he wakes up: he'll most likely feel confused and regretful of his actions during this last month…" Yuuichirou sighed.

"I'll speak it with Commissioner Kifune: he needs to be aware of this and try not to place too much stress into him."

"That'll be fine."

"Eh… His memories have not been altered, right?" Enzan suddenly asked.

"No. Not at all." Yuuichirou quickly confirmed.

"… That relieves me. I thought they could've tried to go to such extremes, even." Enzan seemingly improvised.

"… Enzan – kun. There's something to it. Isn't that right?" Yuuichirou guessed while sounding worried.

"… Eh… I fear that Netto may have been… harassed…" Enzan admitted with a sigh.

"What? You mean… They might have bullied him?" Yuuichirou asked of him.

"… More or less…" Enzan hesitantly replied.

"… Eh… Maybe I should leave for a minute, hakase?" Meijin asked.

"… No. I'll drop the topic. I'd prefer not to know more." Yuuichirou replied after a minute.

"U-understood…"

"I am sorry for bringing the topic out. Hikari – hakase." Enzan quickly apologized.

"No. You're not to blame, Enzan – kun."

"Thank you very much." Enzan thanked.

He then looked through the glass at Netto's sleeping face while Blues stood still observing Saito's immobile form.

"… Phew! We solved the whole mess. Now I can get some rest."

"The chopper's ghost will chase you to the world's end."

"Very funny."

Airstar sat down on the sofa while looking tired while Tesla stood next to him and looked amused as she came up with a joke: Airstar merely rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Heh, heh, heh! Those guys learned what happens when you laugh at my face! Take that!" Tesla laughed.

"Mind you: they're still around. They're not done for."

"Why, those…! I'll bring 'em down with my own hands!" She proclaimed.

_Futile, futile…_

"… Phew! We saved the "Net Savior" runt! Aren't ya glad? Nenjiro! Ya and Rock Man will be able to tag again!"

Rokushadama was speaking with Napalm Man while inside of his workshop and looked animated.

"… YOU STUPID DEAF GRAMPS!" Napalm Man yelled.

"Whoa! Who are ya calling gramps? I'm not even forty!" Rokushadama protested after the initial startle.

"Hah! Build your own rocket and go to Jupiter!" Napalm Man challenged while laughing.

"What a stubborn dude…" Nenji sighed in defeat.

"… So! I guess cha will be going back to cha grandfather!"

"And what if I don't?"

"Why, you…!"

"Temper…? Oh… I get it."

Meiru and Jasmine were having a face-off in the playground: Meiru looked annoyed while Jasmine folded her arms and looked unimpressed.

"Hmmm! You'd be better off in Choina!" Roll told Meddy.

"My, my… It'd seem the "love battle" is pending its outcome." Meddy teased with a smile.

"Saito – kun will only recognize me!"

"Rock Man will only recognize me!"

"WHY, YOU…!"

"Run away!"

"Nope!"

"WHY, YOU…!"

"… A Maha Special."

"I'll have one, too."

"Roger."

Miyabi and Yuriko sat in opposite ends of a Maha Ichiban's table and ordered their meals.

"So! It'd seem the sinister duo has been sweating up for real today… Heh, heh, heh…"

Dr. Wily came in and sat down next to Yuriko.

"Very funny. Father." She drily told him.

"My, my… What dryness." Wily looked amused.

"Your puns would not make it to the joke section of the local magazine, even. Dr. Wily." Miyabi dully told him.

"And I guess the curry keeps on being too spicy for you, Dark Miyabi… Or it's turning sweeter?" Wily told him.

"Hmpf."

"Dunno." Dingo replied as he prepared to go out.

"Get a compass. I insist. And shouldn't you have taken a while to rest afrer the battle, anyway?" Tomahawk Man told him.

"Jeez. No. I don't feel like lying and napping. I'm off, guys." Dingo rolled his eyes.

"I WANNA DO "CROSS FUSION"!" Dekao yelled inside of the kitchen.

"Dekao! Behave yourself!" Maha scolded.

"Master! How could you live with such frustration?" Dekao asked with obvious annoyance.

"I had a TV show with 95% audience ratings. I quit. And I've been forgotten. I don't mind it." Maha replied.

Dekao seemed to gasp while they could hear Maha grumbling something aloud.

"Heh, heh, heh… Maha Jarama will teach that one a lesson."

"… Princess! Are you alright?"

"I am. Sorry if I tend to worry you too much, Laika."

"Ah! However…"

Laika had escorted Pride to the local Cream Land embassy: Pride looked energetic while Laika was standing at a respectable distance.

"We've pushed them back. A good day!" Knight Man commented.

"Yeah. They lose this time around." Search Man looked relieved.

"Well then… I shall arrange for transportation. If you shall excuse me, I shall be going." Laika announced.

"Good! But don't overdo it." Pride told him.

Laika quickly turned around to hide his blush and coughed in purpose to set his face straight and serious.

_Netto is safe. That's all which matters today._

"… Gospel Shuryou. I have compiled a report."

"Good job."

"Sir!"

Freeze Man was reporting to Gospel Shuryou and he'd complimented him: Freeze Man bowed in front of his diamond device and .

"I'll have a good look at it. Take care of security." Gospel commanded.

"Yes, sir! By your orders, Gospel Shuryou".

"… Phew. My body feels different with this sudden power increase, but it'll end up good enough. This ain't over yet." Forte muttered.

_We'll defeat Golden Star and achieve peace!_

"WHOEVER YA ARE~! I WANNA DO "CROSS FUSION"!"

"By all the… Ooyama?"

"Forte?"

"Yeah. When will you give up?"

"When the Play Station 2 dies!"

"It's gonna die this year. The PS3 is about to come out." Forte countered with a shrug of the shoulders.

"WHA~T?"

"Too bad."

"NO WAY!"

"OO – YA – MA – DE – KA – O~!" Hinoken yelled.

"Yikes! Master Hinoken!"

"Behave!"

"Oi! Dr. Wily! Gimme a "Synchro Chip" too!" He told Wily.

"I can't. I've run out of them." Wily calmly replied.

"Make one!"

"Why should I?"

"So that…!" He got cut off.

"…you can defend me? I don't need to!" Meiru joined the discussion all of a sudden.

"Yikes! Meiru – chan!"

"I came to have dinner but I think there won't be any as long as you stay here doing nothing useful." Meiru fumed.

"Chu! Niichan is silly! Chu!"

"Wha~t? Whaddya say, Chisao?"

"True! You were cruel to him! That day when you returned from Jawaii you said things like you'd left your little brother behind and didn't want to recognize him! That's being cruel!" Meiru argued.

"Yes. Ooyama. Try to be reasonable." Yuriko told him.

"But, Yuriko – _sensei_!"

"I'm not a teacher unlike Mariko. And if you want to succeed in the upcoming middle school you need to use the head."

"Oho. How true." Forte sounded amused.

"YIKES!"

"Aha-hah! Caught with the pants down, eh, Dekao – kun?"

"… I'll g-go c-cook t-the s-supper…"

He sighed and sluggishly headed into the kitchen judging from the sounds: Hinoken cleared his throat.

"I apologize, Dr. Wily – sama!" He apologized.

"Bah. Don't mind it, Hinoken." He didn't think it was a big deal.

"Why is the world so cruel to me~?" Dekao played the victim.

"Hmpf! Niichan's head is empty." Chisao was annoyed.

"True, true." Forte giggled.

"And cut that call already!" Maha commanded.

"Well, well, well. Totally back to normal, I'd say."

_It's been a stressful month but we've manage to overcome this crisis, somehow… Welcome back! Hikari! Rock Man!_


	31. Chapter 31: Welcome back

**Chapter 31: Welcome back**

08:48 AM (Japan Time), Thursday August the 5th…

"… O~w… What a headache! Did I get the flu? No way… Those nanomachines are supposed to stop me from getting ill ever again… Good stuff, I guess…"

"What nanomachines?"

Netto gasped and sat up on his bed after having been muttering aloud while having his eyes closed.

"Huh!"

He looked around in a confused manner: Saito was sleeping next to him and the room looked familiar.

"Huh…?"

He then spotted Yuuichirou sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"Papa!"

"Welcome home, Netto. Now… Will you explain to me what did you mean by "nanomachines"?" Yuuichirou asked.

"Uh… I feel somewhat confused… I mean… I can remember what I've done recently, but… Looking back at it… I feel like my perceptions were turned upside down and I wasn't able to think deeply enough…"

"That's no surprise. You'd been brainwashed." Yuuichirou calmly replied.

"What? Brainwashed?" Netto gasped.

"Hmmm? What washing…?"

Saito yawned and slowly sat up while rubbing his eyes: he looked at his Navi bodysuit and then passed the right hand around his hair before he gasped and seemed to snap out of his sleepy-like state.

"Good morning, Saito. It'd seem you've remembered, too." Yuuichirou told him.

"… Brainwashed… Now I get it… Why those thoughts popped out of nowhere… And the insistence they had to them… They seemed to eclipse any other thoughts…" Netto slowly muttered.

"Correct. They turned you into their companion to suit their ends. Now… Getting back to the first topic… What did you mean when muttering about _nanomachines_?"

"Huh… Oriol gave them to me… They're some incredibly small machines flowing inside of my blood…" Netto admitted.

"What?" Yuuichirou looked surprised.

"They can monitor my health, stop viruses or parasites from making me feel ill and breaking down any harmful medicine, drug or substance which I haven't acknowledged beforehand… Oriol has them, too, so…" Netto explained.

"And he is Umbra. Right?"

"Correct, Papa." Saito confirmed.

"Yet… Search Man admitted that he couldn't pick up a "Copy Roid" signature from him. His signature was identical to a human's. How do you explain that?"

"That's because he's 90% human."

"90% human?" Yuuichirou looked taken aback.

"Yeah… He calls it the "cyborg body": a genetically engineered body fitted with a cybernetic brain, implants on the CNS to help translate those signals, and nanomachines… The brain is designed so that the Navi frame is stored inside of it and the consciousness carefully extracted and integrated within the body. If the Navi wants to come out, then the brain and the nanomachines place the body in a sleep-like state… That's how he described it, anyway." Saito explained.

"But… How could he design such a… incredible thing?"

"Twilight came up with that. But it had a sinister purpose to it."

"I guess you remember about what happened when Umbra tried to frame me from crimes I hadn't committed…" Saito brought up.

"I heard the story from Meijin. So he planned on doing something similar again?" Yuuichirou replied before asking.

"Yeah. But the plan was going to be subtler this time around: Oriol was supposed to wait until I began middle school and transfer into my class. He'd gain my trust and then stage the incidents to push both of us into a corner… And that's when he was supposed to actually _kill_ me." Netto admitted before feeling his body freeze.

"Kami – sama!" Yuuichirou gasped in horror.

"Yeah. And that's why he ditched the guy back in April. Mister Shade then approached him and they established their cooperation. And then you know Twilight died back in May." Saito told him.

"Did you get to speak with him?" Yuuichirou asked.

"Yeah. He confirmed that he had none of our genes. Technically, he and Twilight should be brothers, but Mister Shade said he thought "cousin" was a more interesting title. He used an abandoned Science Labs storeroom as base of operations, too."

"Then… We found a room in an abandoned wing which had traces of having been used. It must've been that one."

"Oh! True… Eh… By the way… We're sorry!" Saito suddenly exclaimed while looking repented.

"We broke the Level 1 Firewall twice!" Netto brought up.

"Don't be concerned: you're not to blame. You were being fooled into doing that." Yuuichirou told them.

"Huh? Yeah?" Netto asked.

"We're not guilty, then…?" Saito asked.

"Not at all. Anyway… I guess Haruka must've finished her super breakfast, so… Netto! Get dressed and go downstairs." Yuuichirou told him.

"Whoa! Mama's super breakfast…! I won't miss that!"

He jumped off the bed, picked his clothes, and got into the bathroom.

"… Eh… Papa… Who changed Netto – kun's clothes?" Saito asked him in a hushed tone.

"Huh? Enzan – kun came along yesterday evening and he took care of that… Why'd you ask?" Yuuichirou replied.

"Ah! If it's Enzan, then it's okay…" Saito quickly replied.

"Hmmm?" Yuuichirou didn't seem to get the point of it.

"Nothing, nothing!" Saito quickly improvised.

"Oh! True, true… Saito. It's still on the works, but… One day I'll finish off a system to allow you to eat and drink by turning its chemical components into energy."

"W-whoa! That'd be… incredible!" Saito gasped.

"But you can use that "Copy Roid" as long as you want: it's yours from now onwards."

"Whoa! Thanks, Papa!"

"Don't mind it. It's about time you were able to come out and return to the real world." Yuuichirou told him.

"Huh… Papa. What did you with the R – Program?" Saito asked.

"R – Program…? Oh. You mean the "Ryuusei Form"? Meijin uninstalled that, but we're keeping it for analysis… It looks like it's not something made recently: it has traits of several self-attempted tries to program it and upgrade it over the years. It could serve as base to study other programs. What picks me is that it looks like those three monsters which Golden Star had… The technology matches more or less. Dr. Wily had a look and confirmed that too." Yuuichirou admitted.

"Yeah. I can guess why."

"Care to elucidate?"

"Well. I once asked Legato about them, but he enigmatically replied this: "Oh? The Three Guardians? Heh, heh, heh… Sorry, Saito – kun. But I am not at a liberty to speak about it. All I can say is that we made a deal with a powerful one. We were given those to be used in any manner we wanted as long as they were destroyed. In exchange we're researching on a tech they are in need of… Heh, heh, heh…"…" Saito quoted.

"Suspicious!" Netto exclaimed as he came out of the bathroom and placed his pajamas under the cushion.

"You overheard all of that, otouto?" Saito asked.

"You weren't being too discrete, either." Netto shrugged.

"Okay! Let's go!"

They climbed downstairs and sat down around the table: Netto looked awed at the meals while Saito merely directed a curious glance to them before he began looking around the ground floor.

"Enjoy~!" Haruka told them with a smile.

"_Itadakimasu_!"

Netto began to devour the breakfast while Yuuichirou had a cup of coffee and looked at some notes.

"Ah! Netto. There's going to be a Net Police meeting at 11:00 hours. It's 9:20, so you can make it on time." Yuuichirou told him.

"Okay! I'll go and apologize for everything." Netto replied.

"Remember: no matter what, you aren't to blame for it. You weren't being yourselves. That's all." Yuuichirou reminded them.

"Hmmm… True, true…" Saito looked absent-minded.

"Heh! Saito – niisan is thinking about your conversation and boiling his brains to tie the knots together." Netto grinned.

"…Huh… "A powerful one"… Outdated tech… Self-made program… It's like a puzzle." Saito muttered.

10:58 AM (Japan Time)...

"… Good morning!"

"Good morning. Oh? Welcome, Saito – kun."

"Ah… Sorry for not warning."

Netto and Saito entered the briefing room: Yuriko, Enzan, Manabe and Kifune were present. Saito looked nervous.

"Don't worry." Kifune told him.

"Ah… Thank you very much." He politely replied.

"So… This "Copy Roid" is like that Iris' girl one?" Yuriko asked.

"Iris…? Whoa! Iris! Trill! Barrel – san! We'd forgotten they were in Beyondard!" Netto muttered before gasping.

"Have a seat." Enzan offered.

"T-thanks." Saito nervously thanked.

They both sat down facing Kifune: Enzan was sitting at Netto's right while Manabe and Yuriko were at Saito's left.

"Ah! We're very sorry!" Netto announced.

"We really are!" Saito added.

"It's okay. You can't be blamed: you were being manipulated." Kifune told them.

"Ah…" Both looked relieved.

"We got a call from Hikari – hakase explaining Kuroshiro's true nature… I still find it shocking." Enzan admitted.

"Oh! Now that I think about it… What became of our lookalikes? Oriol never brought the topic again after that clash we had to further the deception…" Netto recalled.

"… Lookalikes? Is that what they told you two?" Enzan asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I mean… They _had_ to be lookalikes." Saito replied.

"Sadly enough… That's wrong." Blues corrected.

"… _Clones_." Yuriko announced.

"W-what!" Both gasped.

"Yeah. Like Twilight. But they were identical except for a 0.02% DNA percentage." Enzan added.

"B-but… Their personalities… I mean…" Netto slowly asked.

"No. They were conscious that they were a clone from the start. The guy who assumed your role, Netto, was named Ivan." Enzan told him.

"Ivan…" Netto muttered.

"Yet… Your copy was named Sergei, Saito." Blues told him.

"Sergei…"

"When we stormed the Switzerland HQ… We found the equipment there: their DNAs had been changed but they still had a portion of yours on their genetic codes: 10%." Yuriko announced.

"So… How did they pop out? What gave it away?" Saito asked.

"To begin with… They placed those two in a tanker which anchored in Akihara. Flame Man and Gate Man were onboard. Their orders were to look after him: Gate Man took care of that while Flame Man was itching to set fire to something the whole time. Do you follow?" Enzan began before making a pause.

"And let me guess: he ended up blowing the tanker up but the guy escaped just in time." Netto guessed.

"True! Search Man intercepted a communication and could pinpoint the origin of it. We've realized he'd been tracked so that he'd intercept the communication. But that "interception" was scripted and we danced to their tune." Blues continued.

"So you went there and found the guy?" Saito asked.

"Yeah. I was checking if there was tanker to begin with. When they told me there was, it exploded. I ran close to it and pulled the guy out of the water before the leaked oil caught fire. His Link PET was damaged and he had a nasty bleeding wound on his skull, so he was sent to the hospital. That's where their reach became subtle: they'd placed an insider amongst the medics who operated the guy." Enzan let out.

"But why…?" Netto began.

"Partial amnesia… That insider wrote a report claiming a fragment had hit his head and then jumped off, hence the wound. Another medic interviewed him: he couldn't remember the "Nebula" crisis or Twilight at all. Fishy! Wasn't it?" Enzan replied.

"Not remembering a period of your life is something. But then forgetting about Twilight when we'd met him again on May… That couldn't be." Saito frowned.

"Incidentally… Your imposter apparently suffered the same symptoms due to memory files corruption, but I guess that was another faking." Blues told Saito.

"Well! We called the guy here to discuss if we'd progressed some days after that face-off at the Science Labs. We prepared a trap. I pretended Twilight had been crazy when speaking about "clones" and he stepped into the trap by claiming: "That's not it! I, too…!" … Catching up?" Yuriko explained with a grin.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! There's no escapin' my sharp traps!" Needle Man improvised a joke.

"Whoa. And he gave himself away." Netto whistled in surprise.

"Yeah. Legato rescued them: their current whereabouts are unknown. But Sergei can still bestialize and his battling power is no joke. You yourselves could check that." Enzan warned.

"Uh-oh… Such a guy at loose… It sounds rather bad!" Saito gasped.

"Yeah. Trouble with Capital T." Netto sighed.

"Well… Regarding Beyondard… Barrel Tai-sa was able to sneak into the Wily Laboratory and come here. We took two days, but we assembled all Cross Fusion users and came there. And I guess you remember what happened next." Yuriko explained.

"Yeah. Laika stopped us… I've gotta thank him. And you then removed the mess in my head, I guess?" Netto muttered before guessing.

"Yeah. They'd implanted a chip into you. But we erased all of that programming, so there's no danger anymore. Saito was also purged from it." Enzan confirmed.

"By the way… Do those two… eh… guys… have a given surname?" Saito asked.

"Nakayami Ivan and Sergei… That was in the lab, too. They then blew it up but we escaped on time. Oh! True, true… You two have seen the _Star Wars_ films?" Yuriko replied before asking.

"Yeah. Why'd you ask?" Netto asked.

"Remember the Sith Lords?" Yuriko asked.

"Huh… There were at least four of them, mind you…" Saito frowned.

"Vader & Sidious." Yuriko specified.

"Oh. Yeah. The original trilogy's bad guys… Wait. Vader… Sidious… No way… You gotta be kidding me." Netto replied before frowning and looking skeptical.

"It'd be too much of a cruel joke!" Saito growled.

"No. It was no joke. That's where Twilight got the name for his "Chaos Unison". And I now guess the design was slightly ripped from there, too… He was obsessed with them." Enzan shrugged.

"… Okay. The guy was a psycho, a bank robber and a role thief… What a list." Netto rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of roles… Laser Man – san… Whose Net Navi was he?" Saito asked.

"A King Land super energy researcher: Dr. Regal. Remember? He was the second of Duo's Probes. Wily mentioned him." Enzan told them.

"Yeah. He used to be my boss before Twilight replaced him from one day to the other back in January, 2004." Yuriko added.

"What happened to him after the "replacement"?" Netto asked.

"So… Shah, shah, shah, shah! Twilight changed all of their memories: they remember us but believe we went separated ways at some point because Regal thought Yuriko would handle alone fine by now! Ironic! Ain't it? Shah, shah, shah, shah!" Needle Man told them.

"Yeah. I guess he was so bent on occupying Nebula that he wanted to make sure the original owner never protested. I'd say we can be glad of it, anyway…" Netto rolled his eyes.

"Let's just pretend they've always been good people and nothing weird will happen." Saito suggested.

"Ah! One thing: the portal machine is under Net Police custody and the people at Beyondard are keeping a watch of it. But you could use it to communicate with Trill and the others if you want to."

"Whoa! Speaking with Trill again… I really look forward to it!"

"I knew you'd do." Blues smiled.

"At least no – one will try to abuse of his power anymore… That's the good part of it. And I guess we could all say hi to the people we got to meet while in there." Netto smiled.

"… This meeting is concluded, then. Welcome back."

"Heh, heh! I'm itching for a Maha Special!" Netto exclaimed.

"Otouto…! Always so glutton-like…!" Saito rolled his eyes.

"What… If you could eat then you wouldn't get tired of it! Niisan!"

"Dunno. But you eat too much." Saito replied.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	32. Chapter 32: The instigators

**Chapter 32: The instigators**

07:47 AM (Switzerland Time), Thursday August the 5th…

"… Damn."

"Oriol – sama."

"Hmm? Hmm. Legato."

Kuroshiro had been sitting in a chair inside of a living room somewhere and looked both depressed and annoyed: a can of orange juice could be seen on the desk along with an empty takeaway _curry_ tray.

"What's up?" He questioned.

"Ah… Am I bothering Oriol – sama?" Legato asked.

"… No. You're not to blame. I knew it would end. Yet… It's always… So hard to let go of it… I managed to conquer my "lust" in the end but now I feel empty. Even though the data from the chip was useful…"

"True, sir… What should I do?" Legato asked.

"… Dunno. He must hate me by now. I'm an idiot, alright."

"Now, now… Kuroshiro – kun. Don't make that face."

Shade walked in and sat down in the chair in front of him.

"Mr. Shade. Do you need something?" He asked in a polite manner.

"Look, Kuroshiro – kun… It's hard to let go of things. But such is the way of human life. I know I'll never be able to understand "love" or "attraction" because my genes have been altered to write them off, but… You mustn't let depression win over you or you'll lose motivation in life. And at least you managed to conquer the "lust" Twilight had set on you."

"… Mr. Shade can't… understand "love"…"

"Ice Queen – sama _never_ loved anyone. Lust led her to create such a cruel empire, Cousin and me. That's why she purposely did that to our genes, see. However… Kuroshiro – kun. Where does your true power lie at?"

"… Mind… Thoughts… Consciousness…" He muttered.

"True. That was what I taught you. Now use them. Don't you remember? We have to fulfill our exchange for _the benefactor_'s help… Weren't you taking care of it?" Shade told him.

"Crap! The exchange…! I left it 70% done but I haven't worked on it for almost a whole week!" Kuroshiro gasped.

"… Say. I just had an idea. Let's charge Nakayami - kun and Sergei with finishing it. Let's give them the resources… to create their organization. A legacy… To Golden Star." Shade suggested.

"Huh? But… What'll happen to "Golden Star", then?"

"I always calculate some steps ahead. And I've realized there's one place we can go to… I need to make some calculations and gather info, but… We could begin anew. From zero. But with different goals." Shade announced.

"From zero…" Legato muttered.

"Everything begins in chaos: at zero. But… Once zero becomes one, it multiplies in an unending manner to create life." Shade added.

"… Mr. Shade… You have fueled my spirits. I now feel there's something to look forward to."

"Good, good. Take care of contacting Nakayami - kun and Sergei. I and _Mademoiselle_ will work on some of the stuff." Shade suggested.

"I will."

"Oh! What are we gonna tell Zarashe?" Legato gasped.

"True. He's been working nonstop on simulations… I guess he resents having been beaten." Shade recalled.

"… The truth: there never was a Kage Miquel – kun. It was a show: an illusion. Reality kicked in."

"If we are to start anew, then we shall tell him this sad truth… Good. I'll take care of it."

"… Tapeline!"

"Battle Chip, Fumikomizan! Slot In!"

"Quick Escape!"

"Shit. Fast."

Beta X was dueling with Video Man, but he was too quick warping from place to place.

"He's gonna show up behind you at one o'clock."

"Roger."

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan! Slot In!"

Beta X aimed and began to shoot the Super Vulcan when Video Man showed up on the spot and pushed him back.

"Battle Chip, Wide Blade! Slot In!"

"Wide Blade!"

"Wind Cutter!"

Beta X ducked and dodged just in time and then hit Video Man's upper torso with the Wide Blade, kicking him into the ground.

"Huff… Huff… Heh, heh, heh! Not bad…" Video Man chuckled.

"You're not bad either. Your speed always makes me sweat." Beta X admitted.

"Zarashe – kun? Do you have a few minutes?" Shade's voice rang out behind him.

"Sir. Please come in".

Shade stepped into the room: Zarashe had taken out his sunglasses and looked depressed.

"You miss Kage – kun. Am I right?"

"Who wouldn't…?" Beta X sighed.

"Yes, sir… What's going to happen to him? Couldn't we rescue him somehow?"

"But… Sadly enough… The Kage – kun you knew… He wasn't a real person: we crafted him into that attitude from another person using brainwashing… He was an experiment." Shade admitted.

"… So that's how it was."

"We are sorry. But such is reality. That young man has returned to his normal self." Shade told him.

"… Yes, sir… Reality is always ahead of everything, but… One has this feeling of emptiness…"

"I have a plan. It'll most likely involve going elsewhere and beginning from zero to turn into a new Golden Star. You might be able to meet someone to fill that void, even." Shade announced.

"Is that so, sir…? Then I shall work hard to deserve a new opportunity. President Hades. Sir."

"Good. But please don't push yourself too hard." Shade told him as he patted his right shoulder.

"Yes, sir. I will not. Right? Beta X?"

"Mr. President. Please count on us." Beta X announced.

"I'll also work hard to deserve such an opportunity!" Video Man exclaimed as well.

"Excellent. Good-bye."

Shade stepped out and entered another room: Slur was going over some graphics and data screens

"_Mademoiselle._"

Slur turned to look at him: her wounds were already healed.

"President Hades. It is confirmed: your hypothesis was correct. And it would seem that we could play a very important role…"

15:04 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Jeez."

"What… Bored again?"

"You guessed it."

Ivan was sitting on a chair place inside of a room: it was wholly metallic and had fluorescent tubes as illumination.

The room was divided in two levels: the ground level and a platform. Five wide steps interconnected them.

The ground floor and a lone entry/exit armored door and large servers, wiring cabinets with routers and switches and wiring filled both walls.

There were two AC ducts covers set on the tallest spot of the platform's walls.

The other piece of furniture included a white plastic desk shaped like a pentagon which had an integrated LCD monitor on it facing Ivan.

The far wall was devoid of furniture.

"Oh come on."

Ivan was currently leaning the chair backwards and depositing his shoeless feet on a spot of the desk: there were some DVD and CD cases along with lose papers and diagrams plus a paper sheet nearby with some _kanji_ together with their _furigana_ hand-drawn there.

"Ivan – kun. You should be glad we've been given such a good place to hide at. And yet… You have a lot of power but why can't you think of using it for something?" Sergei told him.

"_Big bro…_ Ya see… I'm supposed to wait for Oriol to tell me something, but it's been eight days already… I've seen films, I've played games and I've tried learning more _kanji_… But I'm running out of ideas!" Ivan told him as he glanced at him.

"You could try at least lowering your feet. It's bad manners."

"Jeez."

Ivan lowered them and barely repressed a yawn of boredom: his Link PET suddenly rang so he gasped and checked it up.

"Oriol! At last!"

"Heh. Good timing."

Ivan replied to the call and Kuroshiro appeared onscreen along with Legato while being inside of their base.

"Hello, Ivan. Sorry if we kept you waiting: we've been rather busy over here. But things have turned somewhat around…"

"Yeah. Cousin Netto's back to normal." Ivan replied.

"Oh? When did you start calling him "cousin"?" He sounded surprised.

"I liked how Mr. Shade called that Twilight dude "cousin", so I ripped it off from 'im… I guess he won't mind it." Ivan admitted.

"Anyway… Your role is starting." He told him.

"Finally! I was bored to death." He grinned.

"Jeez… Ahem, ahem! But that was because you didn't try hard enough… _Lil bro_." Sergei reminded him.

"Jeez. Gimme a break." Ivan grumbled.

"Well. In any case… Do you remember what I told you two about _that person_? You know: the person who granted us the Guardians, the R Program and some unique Battle Chips…"

"Yeah. So?" Ivan asked.

"It'd seem Mr. Shade has a plan to reform our organization by going "somewhere"… So, just in case… I want to charge you with finishing the job I was doing. It's 70% done, in any case, so, if it's you and Sergei we're talking about, it shouldn't be a big deal."

"Give it a twist." Legato added.

"Interesting." Sergei looked interested.

"Is there anythin' else?" Ivan asked.

"Yup. Twilight's Argentina and Saudi Arabia accounts are open to you: use them to create your own organization. You have a backup one in the Cayman Islands, too… But they should be enough. I mean… You could do 80% of what "Nebula" did with those."

"Whoa. Cool. Our own organization… Our own rules…" Ivan looked awed at the suggestion.

"Yup. The rest is up to you. But I'm sure you can't get bored by now: constructing and managing an organization while working on your own "goal" is no small stuff."

"… "A rotten smell like that of you "Darkloid" lowlifes… Would make flowers wither."… Gotcha?" Legato joked.

"Man. Shadow Man's point back then was that "Darkloids" have a data signature easy to track. Why did he have to come up with that weird phrase?" Sergei looked rather amused.

"You know _ninja_: they like being sneaky."

"O~kay! I'm ready for anything!" Ivan grinned.

"We'll be in contact. Make us proud and build a powerful legacy. Make sure its name cannot be forgotten!" Legato rallied.

"Bye-bye!"

"Good-bye!"

Ivan deposited the Link PET on the counter and looked up to something given his grin.

"_Big bro_! Since we already have _Golden Star_... And we're gonna be the successors… Let's make it be… _Silver Arrow_!" He announced.

"Heh. Catchy. You picked it off my Navi mark… Good!" Sergei replied.

"Now… Let's work! Silver Arrow must make a powerful debut!"

15:13 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh…"

A simplistic Net Navi colored purple and red and having a face-mask over his mouth was walking down the busy streets of "New" Internet City while chuckling under their breaths.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

They then reached Higureya and spotted how Aqua Man was helping Number Man set the Battle Chip data on the shelves.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"Pyrururu! Ice Man will come! Pyu!" Aqua Man was telling Number Man while having a smile on his face.

"Good! Then you'll go play with Bubble Man?" Number Man sounded amused to know.

"Yeah! Pyu!"

"Be careful, Aqua Man." Shuuko told him.

"Yeah, Shuuko – chan! Pyu!"

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"Oi, S." Someone called out: the voice came out of the Navi which now sounded like a speaker.

"Wha! What… B. Don't come in like that. What happened to the manners?" The guy or gal named "S" questioned.

"They rusted." "B" laughed.

"Hah, hah." "S" was far from impressed.

"Oho. Higureya."

"Yeah. But don't do anything. I'm setting up something."

"A Trap Card?"

"You've been seeing too much _Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters_, B. I'm being serious today." "S" told him.

"_Don_ Serious came out of the Hobbit-hole!"

"Chut."

The Navi stepped into the store and Number Man quickly turned around to greet him while rubbing his hands.

"Welcome to Higureya! What do you desire?"

"_Danna_'s glasses in a silver platter, maybe?" "S" joked through the Navi all of a sudden.

"WHAT?"

"Pyu?"

"What about my glasses? De masu?" Higure demanded as he opened his holographic screen.

"They're out-dated, Higure – chan." "S" replied while barely holding back his laughter.

"WHA~T? DE MASU!"

"Oho. Lemme use that too." "B" whispered.

"Alright." "S" giggled.

There was the sound of a microphone swapping and someone tapped into it before clearing their throat.

"Beware! A loose Garuu!"

"What! Where!" Number Man gasped.

"In your imagination, Wiggings."

"Sir! That was rude, sir!" Number Man protested.

"Sir Smash Them All?"

"Pyurururu?" Aqua Man wondered.

"Beware! A loose Spark Bee!"

"PYU~!" Aqua Man gasped.

"In your backyard, Milverton."

"Pyrururu? What's a backyard? What's a Milverton? Pyu?" Aqua Man asked with obvious confusion.

"Forte's half-brother."

"Forte! It had to be him. I always suspected he was fond of pulling jokes behind the scenes!" Number Man fumed.

"Yo and behold! Uncle Smith's descended!"

"What? Uncle Smith? De masu?" Higure wondered.

"He who invented the Ultra Glasses..!"

"Ultra Glasses…?" Shuuko wondered.

"Sir! If you're not going to buy then come out before I call for the Net Police: you are attacking our honor, sir!" Number Man protested.

"Sure, sure. Number Girl."

"Tee, heh, heh. Yo." A girl's voice whispered.

"Ah. H – chan." Both whispered.

"Know what, lil boy? Roll – sama is going to be your foster sister! Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

The Navi suddenly ran off while Aqua Man looked like he hadn't gotten the point of the joke.

"How odd." Number Man muttered.

"This demands a vengeance! Bring out the ice cubes! DE MASU~!" Higure suddenly exclaimed.

"What the hell are you saying, Yamitarou…?"

_Who was that Navi?_


	33. Chapter 33: Feelings

**Chapter 33: Feelings**

12:49 PM (Japan Time), Saturday August the 7th…

"… Hah! The competency is gone. No – one will get in the way!"

"Yeah! That bothersome nurse is gone!"

Meiru was going over her piano lessons while looking satisfied along with Roll: the Link PET beeped to signal an incoming call.

"Guts Man." Roll announced.

"Patch it."

"Roger."

Dekao appeared onscreen: he had the cook hat and uniform on and was nervously looking around.

"Meiru – chan! Please! Tell me! How can I do "Cross Fusion"?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"… Not that again… Unless you improve your teamwork a million hundred times, there's no way you'll be able to! Even Misaki – san couldn't even though he's more skilled than you and Guts Man! Not anyone can! Get it, cook?" Meiru snapped at him.

"No way! I've gotta protect you until we start our curry business! That's my promise!" Dekao looked terrorized.

"Who said I was gonna tag along your projects? Think of saving your own hide! And we never did any promise either." Meiru grumbled.

"No way! Meiru – chan needs a strong macho guy to…!" He began exclaiming when he noticed something behind him and trailed off with a hint of fear.

"Dekao!" Maha grumbled.

"M-master!"

"Heh, heh." Meiru giggled.

"You! It's work time! What'll happen to the curry? Do you want it to get burnt? You won't be able to start a curry business anytime soon given your attitude!" Maha told him.

"But, Master…!"

"No "buts"! How many times do I have to tell you? Maybe I need Magic Man to hypnotize you and make you forget about what "Cross Fusion" is and then you'll work in a proper manner?" Maha grumbled.

"N-no, Master!"

Dekao rushed away while dropping the PET in the ground: Maha picked it up and showed up onscreen.

"I apologize for my disciple's shameful behavior, miss." He politely told her while sounding resigned.

"Don't mind it, Maha – san… Dekao – kun would really need to be hypnotized. He brings that up every week by now…" Meiru rolled her eyes and sounded defeated.

"Indeed. Maybe I'll think of something. Do have a good morning."

"Good morning."

"Che! Guts Man was getting invasive!" Roll grumbled.

"Pervert." She grumbled.

"Yeah! I had to tell him to go protect his gorilla family at the Animal Farm and I wouldn't be surprised if he's heading over there as we speak, Meiru – chan." Roll explained.

"… Oh! Then… I knew it! Dekao – kun is the personification of the men's toilet curse!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"… Futile, futile… A~h… When will she snap outta it?" Roll grimly muttered while clasping her head.

"Why, you…! I won't lose against the men's toilet!" Meiru exclaimed.

"No good, no good…"

13:03 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I apologize for the delay. The cook was not behaving. The Maha Specials."

"Woho!"

"Dekao keeps on being stubborn, huh?"

Netto and Enzan were enjoying a meal in Maha Ichiban's: Netto looked eager while Enzan looked amused.

"Yeah! He keeps on claiming he needs to do "Cross Fusion" to protect Meiru – chan… What a _clichéd_ guy!" Netto told him.

He began to eat his dish at a mad rate while Enzan calmly ate his one and looked amused.

"True. Maybe I'll have Magic Man hypnotize him." Maha admitted.

"Oh! True! Enzan! Didn't you say Mister Shade let out that you'd met after the Magic Man incident?" Netto brought up.

"Yeah. I finally found him. He used to be a representative for a raw material firm which was our main supplier of them. But I can't remember anything peculiar about the interview… Maybe it'll come over the time, even." Enzan admitted.

"Huh… Interesting." Netto commented.

"Maybe what he wanted was to get a good first impression of Enzan in person?" Rock man suggested.

"It might have been the case." Blues admitted.

"… Pst! Dekao!" Madoi suddenly joined Dekao in the kitchen.

"Oh! Mistress Madoi!" He greeted.

"Cha better give it up… I'd say a certain black and white guy is gonna take the spotlight…" She told him in a hushed tone.

"Black and white guy…? Ah!" Dekao wondered before gasping.

"Hurry it up!" She rallied.

He suddenly ran out of the kitchen, leant his hands behind the counter, and leaned forward towards Enzan while looking annoyed.

"Enza~n!"

"W-what?" Enzan gasped.

"You thief!" Dekao yelled.

"Thief?" Enzan wondered.

"How dare you steal off _my_ Meiru – chan? Giver her back!"

Maha suddenly pulled his ears and he yelped.

"Dekao~!" He grumbled.

"M-master! B-but, Mistress Madoi said…!" Dekao protested.

"What? Madoi! You're boycotting me or what?" Maha questioned.

"Dunno!" Madoi replied.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh!" Colored Man giggled.

"What are you plotting?" Magic Man questioned.

"Who knows?"

"I give up."

"Get to the kitchen NOW!" Maha snapped at Dekao.

Dekao dragged his feet back into the kitchen.

"Aup, aup!"

"Rush! What are ya doin' 'ere?" Dekao questioned.

"Aup, aup, aup!"

"He's telling Dekao that he daydreams too much." Rock Man translated.

"Heh, heh! Rush hit the mark!" Netto chuckled.

13:50 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh… Mama ain't home. Well… What did you want to talk about, Enzan? You said it was important?"

"Yeah. Let's go to your room."

Netto and Enzan walked inside of the Hikari house along with Saito, who distractedly glanced at everything.

"Hum. All clean too…"

The three of them climbed upstairs: the twins sat on the bed while Enzan picked a chair.

"… Eh… Netto. I've got to confess something."

"What?"

"Eh… Do you remember the Animal Farm CM?"

"… Yeah. You left me out." Netto looked slightly annoyed.

"That's because you weren't good enough, otouto…" Saito rolled his eyes and sounded exasperated.

"That's not true. I did that to protect you, Netto." Enzan let out.

"Protect me?" Neto frowned.

"… Ah! You mean… Legato talked about it: there are creepy guys out there who pick off boys like us and abuse of them… So… Because otouto was sporting off body, they could think they could make use of it, and otouto could get into an ugly mess… That was your reason for cutting the footage off, then?" Saito grasped.

"Yeah… I thought about it and, while the fact that he was a "Net Savior" might make them doubt, if they bothered to look around, they would notice a total lack of security, so… You could never know when they would strike." Enzan admitted.

"Whoa… You actually wanted to protect me…" Netto looked awed at the confession.

"… Enzan. You actually like otouto, right?" Saito guessed.

"Whoa! Enzan likes me?" Netto gasped.

"Yeah… I guess ever since the "Nebula" crisis… Seeing how you risked it all to help rescue Blues, I began to think different about you… And the more I looked at you, the more that feeling grew… I was planning on bringing the topic out this summer, but I could never find the right moment…" Enzan slowly admitted.

"Then, Blues… Those glances of you had some meaning to them, too… Am I right?" Saito guessed.

"Yeah. That's true." Blues admitted with a smile.

"… Eh… Netto… The other day… When I changed you back…" Enzan trailed off.

"… Ah. True. I'd forgotten… What did you do with the S&M gear?" Netto asked.

"Eh… I wanted to know your opinion, so… I stored it."

"Then go ahead and destroy it. It will make me feel chained to Oriol. But I want to be free. It's over. That stupid game is no more." Netto replied while sighing.

"Ah… I'll take care of that."

"… Then I'll go throw it, too. I don't want to carry it under my bodysuit anymore, either. I've had enough of that leech." Saito announced as he stood up.

He walked into the bathroom and shut the door: he came out a minute later holding the stuff which he tossed inside of a plastic bag.

"Here. Please dispose of this as well, Enzan." He told him with a sigh of relief.

"… So… You wanna play with me?" Netto asked Enzan.

"… Yeah… If you don't mind…"

"While you two play, I'll go play with Blues. Make sure to turn off the screen and speakers, otouto." Saito told him.

"Yeah. Count on me, Saito – niisan."

Saito dematerialized from the room while Netto took care of shutting off screen and speakers.

"Then… Enzan. Who goes first?" Netto asked.

"Huh… Maybe we can bet it?" Enzan suggested.

"Sure."

Netto rummaged on his shorts' right pocket and took out a 500 Credits coin.

"I'll pick tails." Netto announced.

"I'll pick head." Enzan announced.

Netto snapped his fingers to send it flying and then caught it back.

"Heh, heh…"

He covered it and then lifted the hand: head came out.

"You go first." Netto told him.

"Good."

They both undressed and stopped when they were on their boxers while blushing a bit.

"… Man. I dunno what's gotten into me. I mean… We went to an _onsen_ together: we saw each other naked." Netto muttered.

"Guess it's the nervousness of the first time…" Enzan guessed.

He walked over to Netto and pulled his boxers down, revealing his cock: it still had some marks left of when it had had part of the S&M gear on it: Enzan looked sad for a second but then regained his composure.

_Oh come on. They'll eventually fade away._

Netto then did the same for Enzan and he looked animated at seeing his slightly smaller cock.

"Heh, heh! Mine is like… three centimeters bigger." Netto grinned.

"Huh… Guess so…"

"So… We're gonna do it on the bed? That'll be my first time on a bed, truth to be told." Netto looked curious.

"Hum… Okay."

"Heh, heh."

Netto closed his arms around Enzan's waist and he pulled him into the bed: they corrected their pose and ended up with Enzan on top of Netto: Enzan looked animated by now.

"I'm going to be softer."

"Softer?"

Enzan smiled and quickly pushed one of his fingers inside of Netto's insides, drawing a gasp from him: he then began to massage the insides in a slow manner.

"Whoa… Feels good…" Netto muttered.

"Get ready." Enzan announced.

"Huh? What…?"

He gasped as Enzan put a second finger inside and began to slowly loosen up his inner muscles.

"… It tickles!" Netto laughed.

"Heh. There's one more. Let's see if you can bear it, you cool guy. Heh, heh, heh, heh!" Enzan grinned.

"W-whoa!"

Enzan put a third finger and finished loosening up: Netto looked ecstatic by now.

"Whoa… So you're firstly supposed to loosen up the inner muscles to fit the cock in an easier manner?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. This is how it's really done." Enzan told him.

"How did you know that?" Netto asked.

"… I looked it up in secret. But please don't tell anyone! I'm not supposed to do so…!" Enzan admitted in a whisper.

"Okay, okay… I won't tell anyone. Please go and put your cock inside of me: I wanna know how it feels when being opened up." Netto replied with eagerness.

"Heh. Fine."

Enzan removed his fingers and then rubbed his cock, which had gotten slightly hard.

"Let's rub it."

He rubbed it until it turned hard and he slowly slid it into Netto's awaiting inside: he'd closed his eyes and seemed to be enjoying it.

"O~h…! It feels way better!" Netto exclaimed.

"Of course it does. Get ready." Enzan replied.

He licked his fingers with his saliva and he began to use his right hand's fingers to play with Netto's nipples while he used the left one to hold on Netto's torso as he pulled out and pushed in of him.

"W-whoa…! My nipples… be careful…! They turned… very sensible… from… that…!" Netto moaned.

"Sorry. But I thought I could be gentle." Enzan replied.

"Y-you're being gentle… But that's a very sensible spot…! It feels SO GOOD! I want MORE!" Netto replied between moans.

"… Netto! I'm going off!" Enzan warned.

"Go! Fill me up!"

Enzan pushed inside one last time and a rush of liquid overfilled Netto's insides before it slid down Enzan's cock: he panted while Netto seemed to be enjoying the sensation.

"Huff, huff…"

Enzan then pulled out, recoiled, and began to smell around Netto's cock and sack while rubbing it with his nose.

"E-Enzan… Go ahead…" Netto told him.

"Thanks."

Enzan then lubricated Netto's cock with his own liquid and carefully pulled the foreskin back to reveal the head.

"Here I go!"

He began to suck and lick around it in a slow and soft manner: Netto had closed his eyes and looked ecstatic.

"E-Enzan… I'm… gonna go off… Sorry!"

He arched his body as several spurts came out and filled Enzan's mouth with it.

"Huh… Man… Heh, heh."

Enzan stopped and then took the cock out his mouth: he moved forward until he leant over Netto's mouth and he kissed him.

_W-whoa! _

Netto opened his eyes in surprise and returned it back: they then broke apart while having a small string of saliva linking him and looked content.

"Enzan… Let me have a taste of you." Netto requested.

"Go ahead."

He sat on his knees directly above Netto's head and placed his cock inside of Netto's mouth.

"Heh, heh."

Netto calmly licked it by pulling the foreskin back and passed his tongue over the urethra, sending a shiver of pleasure down Enzan's spine: he arched his body back and felt static.

"O~h!" He moaned.

Netto noticed how pre-cum was coming out, so he made sure to spread it around the head while he continued on licking the same spot, sending shiver after shiver down Enzan's spine.

"Ne-Netto!"

He suddenly came to and filled Netto's mouth with his white liquid while he arched his body backwards in pleasure.

"Whoa!"

He pulled out and then leant forward to share another kiss with Netto which connected them.

"… Enzan… Eh… I'm going to try that of the fingers… Okay?" Netto slowly asked.

"Sure. It's your turn now."

They rolled over to shift positions Netto coated his fingers with Enzan's cum before he inserted one into his insides.

"Whoa… It slides in easily like this…" He sounded surprised.

"Keep at it."

"Roger, Vice President!" Netto grinned.

"Hah, hah, hah…" Enzan sounded unimpressed.

Netto continued loosening up Enzan's insides with his fingers and Enzan looked relaxed.

"… Huh… That's… Eh… Enzan… Can I go in? Can I be the first person to go inside of?" Netto slowly asked.

"… Yeah. Be my first guy, Netto."

Netto nodded in understanding and slowly slid his cock inside of Enzan thanks to it being lubricated: he looked surprised.

"Whoa… It feels good." Netto commented.

"Doesn't it?" Enzan replied.

"… O~h…! Oh… Ah… It feels incredible…"

"Keep at it, Saito…"

Saito and Blues were making out inside of the PC: a bed had been placed there.

"O~h…!"

Blues had removed his bodysuit save from the helmet and shades while Saito was "riding" into Blues' cock: he was standing and repeatedly pushing down and pulling up while enjoying the rhythmic.

"It feels good to… be able to move… I mean…" Saito commented.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Blues calmly replied.

Saito was also using his right hand to rub his own cock and looked ecstatic since he was combining it with his left hand to rub his own nipples.

"… Whoa… My nipples feel… extremely sensitive… can't be helped… anyway, so… " Saito muttered in a rejoiced tone of voice.

"Heh, heh, heh… Then I'll make sure to use them to excite you." Blues smiled at him.

He softly grabbed Saito and pushed him down until his whole cock was inside of him and he released, overfilling his insides and letting some of it slide down his cock.

"Oh… It felt so good… _Buruusu_…"

"Heh, heh, heh… I'm glad to know it, Saito." Blues told him.

"… Okay… There's one thing we can still do."

"Really?"

Netto was leaning his head on Enzan's torso and wrapping his arms around his waist while Enzan rummaged with his hair.

"We can go off at the same time. Follow my pace." Enzan told him with a smile.

"Whoa. It sounds cool." Netto grinned.

He lifted his head and positioned himself as he began to rub his cock against Enzan's: Enzan did the same thing and closed his arms around Netto's waist to hold him in place.

"Kiss!"

They then began a third kiss and let passion guide them.

_It feels good…! Very good…!_

They eventually released and stained their upper bodies and faces with the white liquid.

"Heh!" Both grinned.

They licked it off each other's face and shared a fourth kiss: they finally broke apart while panting for air.

"… Enzan. I like you." Netto told him.

"… Thank you, Netto." Enzan replied.

"_Buruusu…_ Will we be a couple?"

"We will." Blues replied as he rummaged Saito's hair.

"Thank you, _Buruusu_…"

"I'm the one who's thankful. You risked it all to restore me back in May, 2005…" Blues caressed his cheek next.

"Alright, VP! Let's settle the day of the next game."

"Fine. And don't call me "VP"! It sounds weird!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	34. Chapter 34: Golden Star's Farewell

**Chapter 34: Golden Star's Farewell**

14:58 PM (Japan Time), Sunday August the 8th…

"… _Lil bro…_ Oriol is calling ya."

"Oriol? Good!"

Ivan picked up the call and Kuroshiro appeared onscreen.

"Hello, Ivan." He greeted.

"What's up?" Ivan asked.

"It turns out that we're gonna "depart" _this world_ and into a _new world_. And I'm afraid we won't be coming back, so… I wanted to say farewell to you two. I feel somewhat sad I won't get to see what you two will do, but… You can't have everything on life, anyway."

"Don't worry. We'll make sure Golden Star and _Silver Arrow_ are remembered as a terrific tag-combo." Ivan replied.

"Silver Arrow…? Cool. Yeah. It'll be like an arrow piercing through their bodies and turning them into mere ice."

"Heh, heh, heh… I can guess you'll make good use of the stuff we've left behind for you two." Legato added.

"Count on it, Legato. There's so much stuff that we don't know where to start at, even. But I think we'll prepare a little surprise for Cousin Saito… Heh, heh, heh…" Sergei added.

"Make him regret abandoning me with _bloody tears_." Legato requested while having a sinister smile on his face.

"My pleasure…" Sergei confirmed.

"Good luck to you guys. I'm sure you'll shake that world's foundations until they collapse and you'll rebuild them from scratch." Ivan smiled.

"… Yeah. Farewell."

"Farewell."

"_Good luck!_"

"_No pain, no gain!_"

Both looked at the wall behind him: it had been painted black and had the circle of Sergei's emblem on it but the insides were still empty: some paint pots and brochures were left on top of an old rug.

"It'll look imposing! Don't you think so, _big bro_?" Ivan commented with an evil grin.

"Yeah. This logo will be worshipped and feared soon enough." Sergei made an evil smile as well.

"So! I'm gonna get my hands on _Diamond_ when it comes out. Will ya get Pearl?"

"Sure. I wanna show off my smooth surface." Sergei joked.

"Let's crash a mole."

"Crash a mole?" Sergei frowned.

"Atomize an atomic." Ivan laughed.

"Hah, hah. How poorly improvised." Sergei was far from impressed.

"Man! Don't be so dry!" Ivan told him.

"I'll try to but I don't like silly puns." Sergei fumed.

"Wanna have sex?" Ivan suddenly asked.

"… Huh… Well… But… Eh…" He trailed off.

"Kidding. I wanted to catch ya off-guard." Ivan laughed.

"JEEZ! That was too much, Ivan – kun!" He protested.

"Who knows? Maybe I wanna have a thrill ride?"

"Hmpf! I'll think about it. But don't drag me into that either." Sergei settled with some annoyance.

"You never know, _big bro_, you never know… Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

08:04 AM (Switzerland Time)…

"… They will succeed, Oriol – sama. Their potential is limitless."

"I never said I didn't believe on it, Legato."

Kuroshiro and Legato were standing next to the portal machine while carrying two wheeled suitcases each while Slur and Shade were making adjustments to its settings.

"Whoa. Travel to another world… It must be cool!" Zarashe exclaimed while whistling in admiration.

"Yeah. And we'll become stronger persons, too. I'll always follow you anywhere, Zarashe – kun." Beta X told him.

"Thanks for you trust in me, Beta. It means a lot to me." Zarashe admitted with a smile.

"Don't mind it. We're companions: ain't that right?" Beta X smiled.

"Yeah. We'll always be."

"Heh, heh, heh! This'll be worth a film!" Video Man chuckled.

"Be serious." Cosmo Man told him.

"… We're ready. Don't be afraid. The trip will be almost instantaneous and everything has already been arranged for on the other end."

"Remember: we shall be born again from zero. We cannot yet know the result of it. But we shall be creating a new history." Slur added.

"Yeah. And we'll part an important role on that world's history. This will be cool!" Kuroshiro grinned.

"Let us go!" Legato rallied.

"Farewell!" All exclaimed.

The machine activated and everyone calmly stepped into it without looking behind: it then self-destructed alone thus impeding any attempts of being followed.

15:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hmmm… I dunno who claimed that they'd spotted Mettools messing around with the Trunk Ports of this Switch Device, but there's nothing at all, Netto – kun."

"Che… Meijin – san could've bothered to check if the caller was reliable or not!"

Rock Man was inspecting a Switch Device somewhere and found nothing out of ordinary: he then spotted a silhouette some meters below in the NVRAM and RAM storage area.

"… Wait. Someone's there." He warned.

"Uh-oh. Let's check it out." Netto suggested.

Rock Man jumped down into the area and was surprised: it had been redecorated to have white stone walls, golden columns and a round metallic door set in an archway which had been decorated with the name "Sky View Temple" colored cyan.

"Huh…"

Rock Man walked towards it when there was a sudden blinding streak of light which forced him to step back: he drew the Rock Buster and aimed forward.

"Hru~h…!"

He spotted a guy around his height standing there while looking to the door.

The guy had a small red mantle which covered the upper torso from the front and extended until under the waist from the back: this mantle was decorated with two golden diamonds which were the origin of string made of gray and hollow horizontal diamonds.

His piece of cloth was tall enough to almost hide his head when seen from behind and the interior had yellow and gray patterns drawn into it.

_Who…?_

The opponent held a black and slightly curved sword on its right arm, which was being help up: this sword had a small purple-like sphere on the spot where the handle and blade fused.

_Let's get ready…!_

They looked like it was about to strike the door again when it stopped: the sword dissolved while turning black and assuming diamond shapes.

"… Who are you?" Rock Man demanded.

"Hmmm? You're from back then… Cousin Saito. Despite being flipped over up there by my attacks, you've managed to come all the way here… However, that's fine enough. For types like you…"

"The only person who'd call me "cousin" has to be… Sergei!" Saito exclaimed.

Sergei turned around: the mantle created a shape which was taller from behind than from in front and it covered past his shoulders but before the elbows.

"Did you like my scenery?" Sergei asked him.

"Very nice." He drily replied.

"My. What mood." Sergei muttered.

"Yeah. Cousin Netto must've been seeing CIA films." Ivan added as he opened his communications screen.

"Ivan…! So that's your ugly hide!" Netto exclaimed.

"Pretty much." Ivan confirmed.

"Where are Oriol and the others?" Netto demanded.

"They're not in this world anymore." Ivan replied.

"What? They went back to Beyondard?" Netto asked.

"Nope. They've decided to exile themselves into another world: an alternate Universe." Ivan let out.

"What!" Both gasped.

"In short: you'll never be able to catch them because they've already departed and cut off any ways to follow them or for them to return. Good luck to 'em." Sergei added.

"So… You lured us here?" Saito grasped.

"My business is…"

"What's it?"

"…with the girl who has a strong signature which I can feel beyond this door… The Sacred Maiden which we have pulled from above the clouds into these lands…"

"… That's starting to sound like a fantasy setting game." Netto muttered.

"Ah. I haven't introduced myself yet! Excuse me. I am, from what you guys name the "Land", this world's current Demon Tribe Chief… Nakayami Sergei! If you don't mind… Then you can call me "Sergei – sama" as well."

"Hah, hah, hah… That of "Demon Tribe Chief" was ripped off from Twilight. We knew that." Saito looked unimpressed.

"Oh? You intend to get in my way? Someone like you intends to hinder the path of the precious me?" He turned around to face Saito and grinned.

"Beautiful…" Saito looked like he didn't see the grace of it.

"If everything had gone smoothly… The girl should've already been in our hands by now! Don't you think so?"

"Dunno." Netto replied.

"Huh…! However…! It was a very close thing...! Hadn't that annoying veteran of the Goddess taken her away right then…! Because of her… I now feel…!"

"Veteran…?" Saito wondered.

"… Rabidly! Overwhelmingly! Vehemently disgusted!" Sergei exclaimed as he looked up and before he suddenly warped away.

"W-whoa!" Saito gasped.

He looked around the area in a confused manner.

"I don't care who it is: I need to vent off this outburst of anger!" His voice rang out of nowhere.

Sergei crept from behind and suddenly popped his head at Saito's right while looking towards him: Saito gasped.

"Well… Even if I say that… An amateur child like you against the Demon Tribe Chief wouldn't fare too well, I'd rather think… Even if I allowed you some hundreds of years to train you wouldn't be able to win."

"O-oe! This is personal space!"

Saito bent forward, rolled across the ground and stood up while looking nervous.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Sergei merely chuckled and spread his arms open as the mantle faded while turning into small diamonds: he then looked forward while smiling and looking amused.

"Okay! Showdown! Cousin Netto!" Ivan challenged.

"Showdown!"

"One rule: you can only use Sword-type Battle Chips!" Ivan challenged next.

"Okay! Battle Chip, Wide Sword! Slot In!"

"Wide Sword!"

Sergei merely paced forward while extending his right hand's palm: it was glowing with a reddish aura.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Saito tried to attack, but Sergei easily caught the sword by its end and blocked it off.

"W-whoa!" Saito gasped.

Saito struggled to free it, but Sergei suddenly gripped it and it faded from Saito's forearm to reform in his forearm.

"Hmpf! Pretty good stuff. However, just by looking at your pose, I can stop it with just one hand."

He swung the Wide Sword and Saito had to dock with his right forearm, getting a superficial cut on it: Sergei then stopped and the Wide Sword reformed on Saito's arm again.

"W-whoa!" Netto gasped.

"Heh." Ivan put up a smug smile.

"Che." Saito grumbled.

"Hah." Sergei grinned.

Saito repeated the process: Sergei blocked and used the Wide Sword or Saito managed to make some hits to him.

"Heh!"

Sergei could always warp around the room and move around: he suddenly took out his tongue and looked blood thirst as he lifted his right arm and summoned the sword.

"Whoa! He has a customized sword!" Netto exclaimed.

"And I have a bad feeling about it, too." Saito muttered.

Sergei jumped backwards and assumed a runner's pose: he ran forward and suddenly swung the sword in a wide arch, kicking Saito into the ground from the attack.

"Niisan!"

"I'm okay!" Saito relieved him.

"Let's heat this up." Ivan chuckled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Sergei snapped his left hand's fingers: some small blades with a red aura popped out in a vertical row in front of him: they shot forward and Saito jumped to the left to dodge them.

"Damn." Saito cursed.

They then popped out in a "staircase" pattern and one or two left superficial cuts on Saito's body as they shot past him: Sergei then did another wide swing which Saito dodged by inches and warped close to Saito.

"Now!"

He managed to land two or three hits into him as he was getting ready to attack and he jumped backwards.

"Hah."

Sergei simply summoned the daggers and they shot forward in a horizontal formation which Saito dodged by jumping towards the right.

"… I'm starting to get nervous." Netto muttered.

"How unlike you, Cousin Netto…" Ivan grinned.

"Shaddup." Netto grumbled.

"Well?" Sergei asked.

"Che! The outcome ain't settled yet!" Saito cursed.

He managed to land another three hits and Sergei warped: he stopped and rubbed his right cheek with the right fist.

"Che."

"Huh? It's over?" Saito wondered.

"… Hmpf. I guess I took you too lightly. But, then again, I was only playing around." Sergei calmly told him.

"What!" Netto gasped.

"You better pray we don't clash twice." Ivan teased.

"Che." Netto grumbled.

"You'd be better off getting some sword training from Blues, I'd say! Goodbye, Cousin. Meet me twice and I'll beat you up." Sergei grinned.

"Narcissist…" Saito grumbled.

"Hmpf."

He swung the sword around and came out of the device.

"I've got stuff to do. And remember this: Sergei and I will be your new rivals from now on." Ivan told him.

"Come anytime: we'll beat you two up!" Netto challenged.

"Heh, heh, heh… That's the spirit, Cousin Netto. Good-bye."

"See ya around, Cousin Saito!"

The communications screen shut down while the environment walls faded away and returned to normal.

"Man. What a fight. I guess we're going to experience some new Net Battles from now on." Netto whistled in surprise.

"Yeah. And that of the 'Demon Tribe Chief' was no joke." Saito sighed.

"Good job, Saito."

Forte suddenly dropped into the area from above.

"Ah. Forte. You saw it, huh?" Saito guessed.

"Sure. Since it was between you two, I decided to just sit and watch. They've reinvented themselves, it'd seem. But I feel disappointed to know Golden Star is gone forever from this world. I'd liked to thoroughly deal with them." Forte commented.

"Yeah. I get that same feeling, too." Saito admitted.

"Che. Cowards…" Netto grumbled.

"Yeah, I know… Can't be helped, sadly enough…"

16:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So? Have you thought of the kind of organization we want to be, _Lil bro_?"

"More or less…"

Sergei was speaking with Ivan inside of their hideout's server room: he was standing in front of him while Ivan was seated in the chair and grinning.

"To begin with… We'll pick guys and girls who already have powerful Net Navis of their own and grant them the chance to do more than they currently can do… Like… Hum… A guy who makes explosives but only gets to use them in open air mines… We'd contact him, give him the necessary money, and have him cause a string of serial explosions there and there. The guy would rejoice and we'd take the credit." Ivan exposed.

"I like that. But we should try to… hum… find someone sans a Navi and gain him as a supporter. We could train him to be our backup, even. It's not like I'm being defeatist, but I'd like to be several steps ahead." Sergei suggested.

"A useful and clever guy without a Net Navi… Hmmm… I'd have to snoop around a bit. But I'm sure we could find one who matches that description. Maybe we should pick him to be around our age? Would that be fine?" Ivan wondered.

"Why not… This looks like it'll be interesting." Sergei shrugged.

"It'll be _more_ than just "interesting": we're gonna make history! The Era of Chaos and Terror is just beginning!" Ivan announced.

"Yeah. That's true. And our Cousins will regret having neglected us, too. Heh, heh, heh…" Sergei looked amused.

"Delete!" Ivan exclaimed while lifting his right fist.

"Delete!" Sergei copied his gesture.

"HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH!"


	35. Chapter 35: Finale

**Chapter 35: Finale**

11:11 AM (Japan Time), Monday August the 9th…

"… DAMN THEM ALL!"

"Dekao!"

"Yikes!"

"Go back home!"

"No way!"

"Way!"

"But…!"

"No buts!"

Dekao had roared in another of his frustration attacks and Maha was telling him to leave.

"Go – back – home – before – I – have – Magic – Man – hypnotize – your – hide!" He hissed.

"… Yeah… I am sorry…"

He dragged his feet outta Maha Ichiban's and Maha slapped his own face in frustration.

"This one can't do anything else but go by _clichés_ and Dingo won't get a compass… What a disgrace! Had I known this, then I'd stayed at my family restaurant!" He exclaimed.

"Maha Jarama – sama…" Magic Man sounded surprised and nervous at the same time.

"I must be cursed by a Demon!" Maha exclaimed.

"No way…" Hinoken looked baffled.

"Eh… Please do not blame me!" Fire Man pleaded.

"_The Devil! _This sounds bad!" Count Elec gasped.

"Really… What use does that gorilla have, anyway?" Elec Man sounded skeptical.

"Being the comic relief, maybe?" Colored Man suggested.

"Yeah. That sounds like it." Madoi agreed on it.

"Ho, ho, ho… It'd seem the _naraku_'s mournful souls are stirring up chaos amongst humans…" Wily joked.

"So true." Shadow Man confirmed.

"Man. Now they plot together." Miyabi grumbled.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! Man! That Maha dude is really unlucky!" Needle Man exclaimed.

"So it would seem." Dr. Regal calmly added.

"It was not of my knowledge that Wily – sama had such skill for twisted words." Laser Man commented.

"Regal…" Wily sounded slightly annoyed now.

"What?" Dr. Regal asked.

"That Navi of yours sounds like a lawyer." He told him.

"… I do not see the point of it." Dr. Regal calmly replied.

"There isn't, Dr. Regal: that's the problem." Yuriko exasperatedly told him while rolling her eyes.

"Dr. Wily seems to think he knows people well." Miyabi merely commented with a dull face.

"… Man… How is this thing supposed to work like? I dunno!"

"Dingo… Just follow the arrow."

Dingo was trying to use a compass but didn't seem to get how it worked while Tomahawk Man looked annoyed.

"But… Where to?" Dingo asked.

"Che! If you know the relative orientation of the place, then check which way is north and then check out the other directions! Even a five year old would get it!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"But, my…!"

"NO! You'll end up splitting someone's head open at this rate! No more tomahawk! It's forbidden in the city!" Tomahawk Man shouted.

"Man… I'm cursed. I just know it." Dingo groaned.

"Futile, futile…" Tomahawk Man grimly muttered.

"… Jasmine. It would seem passion is threatening to pull you into a mistaken road…"

"Is that so? Grandfather?"

Jasmine had been taking care of a panda when Cardamon had addressed her.

"Many strong ones have let passion guide them and the result was catastrophic… Thus… Do not let passion, lust, hate or envy fool you into their wicked pathways of Fate… You must learn to respect and tolerate. Then you will know how the world works like." Cardamon explained to her.

"Hum… That's true…"

"I guess we should be taking those words seriously: we are starting to show symptoms of that." Meddy suggested.

"I understand, Grandfather!" Jasmine smiled.

"Good child!" Cardamon sounded satisfied.

"… I see. Golden Star is beyond our reach. And without their coordinates, it's useless to try to use the remaining machine under the Net Police's custody to know where they went off to."

"Yeah. That sums it up."

Laika and Enzan were having a videoconference.

"Huff. And now Nakayami and Sergei seem to be following into their footsteps. That show they put over could've been labeled as "amusing" to an outsider, but it was "deadly". And Sergei was merely playing and fooling around. I'd rather not face him when he's being serious." Laika added in a calm tone.

"Yeah. I'd rather not, either. This is between Netto and Nakayami: it's personal." Enzan replied.

"Well… If it's them we're talking about, then they're very likely to succeed. But they won't make it easy." Laika shrugged.

"… So? Have you made a move to seize that thread?" Search Man asked in a calm tone.

"Yeah. I seized it. It was worth it." Blues replied.

"Interesting." Search Man replied.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll seize it again." Blues calmly admitted.

"Do not think I envy your skills: you are who you are and I am who I am. It's as simple as that." Search Man quickly told him.

"Guess so…" Blues shrugged.

"… In any case… I've got work to do over here, so… I'll send you a notice next time there's anything worth mentioning. Ah! And by the way… You worked along Dingo in Beyondard. Could you try to at least insist on how useful a compass can be?" Enzan brought up.

"Heh. A compass? I get it. Tomahawk Man must be running up the walls in frustration and about to take it out on a Virus pack." Laika suddenly looked amused.

"Yeah. I've got enough trouble dealing with Dekao's behavior myself: he now thinks I'm a thief who stole his "love" for Sakurai." Enzan admitted.

"Heh. Such a man would be better off watching his stomach." Laika smugly suggested.

"Sure thing… Well then… See ya around. Come back, Blues."

"Roger, Enzan – sama. Good – bye, Search Man."

"Good – bye. And try not to make too many extra hours." Search Man added with a smile.

"You needn't tell me…" Blues slapped his face in defeat and seemed to roll his eyes under the shades.

"Well then… Beware of distractions flying across the windows." Laika told Enzan.

"Yeah. I get the joke, Mr. Universe. Bye."

"Bye."

Laika finished the videoconference while still looking amused at his own jokes.

"Laika – sama. Should we return to the routine?" Search Man asked.

"Yeah. Let's go back to normal." Laika replied.

He looked out into the sunny skies and smiled along with Search Man: the crisis was over.

"… Oi! Nenjiro! Ya better make some good fireworks so that Deko – chan will hire me again! I wanna impress the public!"

"You mercenary!"

"Wha~t?"

Rokushadama had been working on new fireworks simulations with Napalm Man when he'd snapped at him.

"You only wanna do that twice 'cause the brat pays ya a fortune! That's what mercenaries are: they work for money! Shadow Man used to do that, too!" Napalm Man told him.

"No way! I just wanna make her happy!" Rokushadama protested.

"… So!"

"…"So"…?"

"How is it like?"

"What is?"

"The real world, I mean!"

"Oh. That…"

Saito was sitting on a chair inside of his house's bedroom and speaking with Roll via the PC.

"Huh… It feels very different. All is… how should I say it… more natural. I mean… for me, at least…" He replied.

"Tee, heh, heh! I can see you're enjoying yourself." She teased.

"Huh… Roll – chan can also use it, too!" Saito told her.

"Nope! I have no need for that. I'm satisfied with my Beyondard experiences. Besides… Saito – kun _did_ live in the real world: it's obvious you'd want to go back there!" She told him.

"Ah… _Thank you_, Roll – chan…" Saito thanked.

"Say, say! Are you helping Netto – san more by now?" She asked.

"Huh…? Eh… Yeah. A bit… I mean… He can handle himself pretty much well… I do help Mama with the house a bit…" Saito admitted.

"That's good to hear! You don't mind doing household chores?" She looked interested.

"No… I want to be helpful, so I don't really mind…" Saito replied.

"Tee, heh, heh!"

"Huh? What's so funny about it?" Saito asked.

"Eh… Nothing. Well then… See you, _dear_!"

She ended the call in a rather sudden manner and Saito blinked.

"…"Dear"…? I dunno what's in Roll – chan's head. She called me the same thing when I asked of her to take care of Trill…"

"… I'm home!"

"Welcome back!"

Saito heard Netto climbing the stairs and he entered the room while looking somewhat annoyed.

"Otouto? What happened?" He asked.

"Meiru – chan… She keeps of accusing me of having sprouted up a curse ever since the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator incident! And she won't shake that off! I tried to have Mama tell her off but…!" Netto growled in clear frustration.

"No way…" Saito looked incredulous.

"Way… Jeez. She lacks sense of reality. What a club! Meiru – chan and her "men's toilet curse"… Dingo and his lack of direction plus his stubbornness to listen to Tomahawk Man or buy a compass… Dekao and his "Cross Fusion" obsession plus his obsession towards Meiru – chan… Yaito – chan trying to split Enzan from Anetta… Chisao ashamed at his _niichan_'s behavior… The only sane guy is Tooru – kun but he keeps on trying to combine violin and ice skating…" Netto listed with obvious frustration and exasperation.

"… What the heck happened around here? We're all turning into weird guys or what?" Saito looked baffled.

"Dunno."

The Link PET rang, so Netto answered to the call: Meijin was onscreen with his usual calm face.

"Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iranai_!"

"An incident…?" Saito asked.

"More or less."

"Where…?" Netto asked.

"Here." Meijin replied.

"The Science Labs…?" Saito asked.

"Yeah. The lockers..." Meijin trailed off.

"Eh? The lockers…?" Netto looked surprised.

"I can't find my black Ford – T miniature!" Meijin exclaimed.

"Eh… And was it really necessary to use the "Net Savior" call tone to contact us?" Netto asked with obvious surprise.

"Maybe you two have better memory than mine… Where could it be at? I can't find it!" Meijin told them.

"… Oh! Didn't Meijin – san give it to Makoto – san?" Saito recalled.

"Oh…! So that's what happened to it! Thank you! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Meijin – san!"

"_SAN WA IRANAI~_!"

The call ended in a sudden manner and both looked somewhat amused at what had happened.

"Meijin – san can have short memory from time to time…" Netto looked rather resigned.

"Yeah. Anyway… What's that bag?" Saito replied before asking.

Netto rummaged into a shopping back and took out a new middle school uniform along with a new set of extra shoes.

"Getting prepared, I see." Saito smiled.

"… Yeah. True. I'm gonna take middle school seriously. It's gonna be an important stage." Netto admitted.

"Sure, otouto – chan. Chin. Chen. Chun. Chon." Saito joked.

"Oi, oi…"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh! I feel like kidding a lot today~!"

12:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well! It looks imposing. Right?"

"Yep. It sure does! I'll praise you. _Lil bro_."

"Heh, heh, heh…"

Ivan and Sergei had finished painting the Silver Arrow logo on the server room's far wall and it looked quite imposing.

"_Nice_!" Ivan exclaimed.

"_Cool_!"

The PC suddenly beeped and played the _Imperial March_ tune: both gasped and looked at it.

"I didn't program it to run that tune!" Ivan exclaimed.

"And we installed DMZ, ACL, an AAA server and a firewall! No mere Virus could've gotten past so much security!" Sergei exclaimed.

"… Nakayami Brothers." A distorted manly voice (but similar to that of the trolling Navi) announced.

"… It's gotta be _That Person_!" Ivan gasped.

"He found us!" Sergei gasped.

"So?" The man questioned.

"Ah! Sir! Regarding the exchange devices… They're 93% complete." Ivan quickly put up a polite register.

"What is more: if Sir wished to, we could transfer them at Sir's region immediately." Sergei added.

"… 93% complete… Not bad." The voice sentenced.

"Sir!" Both saluted.

"My mere presence intimidates you?" The man sounded amused despite the distorter.

"Eh… We have been briefed, sir." Ivan replied.

"So it'd seem. Regarding how I got past your excellent security… I faked an IP address and subnet mask which was inside of the "allow" ACLs." The man admitted.

"Eh… Sir… I am sure Sir knows it, but the copy we were granted of the R – Program fell into the Science Labs' hands… They've been analyzing it and we are concerned they could deduce from it." Sergei announced.

"I knew that. But it's of no matter. It had a lock, after all." The voice calmly replied.

"A lock…? Eh… But Rock Man didn't seem to have any problem using it, sir…" Ivan frowned.

"I didn't mean an activation lock: a power lock. Hikari Saito could engage it perfectly and its power would seem off-measurements and destructive to any outsider. But it was only 75% of the total." The man let out.

"What!" Both gasped.

"I simply do not have trust in outsiders. It was a fail-safe I came up with. And it doesn't matter if they find it: even their current technology won't be able to remove it without causing major structural damage to the program and its self-destruction." The man replied.

"Eh…" Both looked nervous.

"Getting back to the topic at hand… Transfer the already complete devices. How much time do you need to finish the last one?" The man ordered before questioning.

"Sir! It shall be ready this same night." Ivan replied.

"This same night…? Good. We'll install them and start preparations for their loading. The deal shall be concluded then." The man sounded satisfied.

"Eh… Might I ask one thing, Sir?" Sergei asked.

"Sure."

"Eh… Was it Sir who approached Golden Star or did Golden Star approach Sir?" Sergei asked.

"It was me. I have countless eyes over the world. Kanou Shade thought he was good at monitoring. He was proven wrong by me." He announced.

"Then… We shall start preparations for the transfer ASAP: they should get there in less than one hour from now." Ivan announced.

"Good. Farewell."

The tune sounded again and there were some beeps and sounds from one of the servers before it resumed normal activity.

"Phew! It chilled me to the bone…" Ivan sighed in relief.

"Yeah… We better get working on it NOW." Sergei replied.

He picked a chair and sat down next to Ivan as he typed into the computer while Sergei read some instructions written on a paper: both were rather quiet and it looked like the earlier conversation had cooled the air and they didn't feel like kidding.

"Alright… The main body and all is completed. What's left is tuning the on/off procedures and the input/output…"

"Yeah… If we simulate the expected volumes of energy we could try seeing if the inner piping and program needs to be tuned further on or they can be left as they are…"

"Luckily enough Oriol left all of his notes behind for us… He did a good work, yeah. But I lack his experience. It'd seem there are some feedback notes too… We can use those…" Ivan muttered next.

"Don't worry. It's not like our lives are at stake."

"I know, but they make me feel SO nervous…!"

"Well… Yeah… I dunno why they have that sinister air to them."

"Remember what Oriol told us… Their origin is creepy enough!"

"Yikes. Yeah, yeah… Let's work on this, yeah."

12:40 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So?"

"Caiman."

"As expected…"

"What?"

Airstar had questioned Tesla regarding what she planned to do and seemed to have been expecting her reply.

"You're always seeking exotic spots. Last time around, it was the Seychelles Islands… And now you wanna go to the Caiman Islands. Maybe you'll be met with the Demon God guy…" Airstar told her as he rolled his eyes.

"Demon God guy…? Oh. That '"Twilight" person, you mean? No way. He's dead." Tesla shrugged.

"But it's a God we're talking about. Can Gods really die?" He teased with a grin.

"… What are you getting at?" She asked.

"You won't be satisfied anytime soon."

"Who knows?"

"You do."

Gauss walked past them while using the vacuum cleaner.

"… Father must work hard! Tesla needs to be satisfied!" He muttered aloud.

"Oh boy…" Gyro Man muttered.

"… I foresee a fight." Magnet Man grimly muttered.

"… Heh, heh! That beach excursion was entertaining."

"So it would seem, Princess – sama."

Pride was looking at her framed photo of Netto's friends and her standing in a beach somewhere and having the sea behind them.

"… Anyway… Things look like they'll settle down for a while." She shrugged and looked in a good mood.

"Yes, ma'am. If any unworthy ones try to come close, I shall expel them from Cream Land!" Knight Man announced.

Pride nodded in agreement and resumed working with her documents while humming a tune.

"… Oh! Hello."

"Good afternoon."

Anetta had come into the Science Labs some hours later and was speaking with Yuuichirou.

"Are you looking for Enzan – kun?" Yuuichirou asked.

"No. I'd come to see Netto." She replied.

"Oh. He's in the adjacent lab polishing his "Cross Fusion" battle skills. You can go look from the observation deck." Yuuichirou told him.

"Thank you, sir!"

She walked away while humming a tune and Yuuichirou resumed working with something: he assumed a surprised face as he typed into the keyboard and read an output.

"… The more I analyze, the more I get surprised… This program seems to have been built from scratch via some energy compression and decompression ratios… It must've taken some months at the very least to polish it up and make it work… An impressive feat if we're talking about a program a decade old… Just who used this program and for what purpose?" He muttered aloud.

"… Rock Buster!"

"Keep at it, Netto – kun!"

"CF" Netto was standing inside of the "Dimensional Area" test box and was shooting some targets to refine his aim: Meijin was monitoring it while writing some notes down on a clipboard he carried.

"Good afternoon!" Anetta announced as she stepped in.

"Oh. Anetta. Are you fine?" Meijin greeted with a smile.

"Yeah! I see Netto is working hard!" Anetta commented.

"He's been at it for a quarter of an hour already. I'm starting to run out of training programs, even." Meijin admitted.

"Whoa. He seems to be very motivated." Anetta whistled in surprise.

"How are you and Enzan – kun faring like?"

"Che! Enzan looks like he finds me an eyesore along with that _deko_ girl. I dunno what's gotten into him as of late."

"Maybe he's concerned over IPC's management." Meijin suggested.

"Could be, yeah…" Anetta shrugged.

"… Okay! Meijin – san! I've finished!" "CF" Netto reported.

"_San wa iranai_!"

Meijin pulled a lever and the "Dimensional Area" faded away, so "CF" Netto reversed out of "Cross Fusion": he then caught the Link PET and projected it into the air.

"Come out, niisan."

Rock Man materialized and he took out his helmet, looking like he felt hot with it on.

"Whoa. Rock Man can come out of the PET?" Anetta asked.

"Yeah. He's using a new "Copy Roid" model which he's using for test purposes." Meijin replied.

"I've never guessed he had so much hair under that helmet! He looks _handsome_, even. Tee, heh ,heh!" Anetta giggled.

"Yo! Anetta!"

"Are you fine?"

Netto and Saito walked into the observation platform to greet Anetta: she then took out a box.

"Ta – dan! Anetta's super-special California rolls!"

"Whoa!"

"There goes glutton otouto." Saito rolled his eyes.

"Hey! Rock Man! Don't you want some?" She asked.

"Please call me "Saito" instead. It sounds more personal. And I'm sorry, but I'm not designed to ingest food or drinks yet." Saito replied.

"Oh. I'd forgotten. Well… Go ahead, Netto!"

"_Thank you_, Anetta!"

Netto picked one and slowly munched it.

"Hmmm! Good!"

"Tee, heh, heh! I knew Netto would like 'em." She sounded amused.

"… Beware, otouto. I think she's targeting you." Saito whispered to him all of a sudden.

Netto suddenly gulped and looked at the ceiling.

"What?" Anetta asked.

"Nothing!" He quickly replied.

"… Oh. I get it. That red-haired girl is the jealous type, eh? Then I'll go see that other brown-haired friend of yours. _Bye – bye_!"

She laughed and suddenly ran off the observation deck: the three of them were surprised.

"… Ah. Man. Anetta is on a "gotta catch a boyfriend" mood." Netto commented.

"Yep. Enzan must've told her she's not his type so she's gonna seize Hikawa – kun now." Saito rolled his eyes.

"True. She brought the topic out." Meijin admitted.

"… Hum… So Forte has been spotted several times."

"Indeed, Shuryou."

Freeze Man was reporting to his superior while inside of the base's Cyber World: the diamond was placed there and the snowstorm seemed to have less strength today.

"Don't mind him. He's going to be useful as he is." Gospel calmly told him while shrugging.

"Yes, sir! By your orders…"

"Remember: we are going to be working on our own but Gospel won't come back. We shall become defenders of the Network Society. Do you understand?" Gospel told him.

"Yes, sir! We must atone for our mistaken deeds."

"Good. Do as you like."

"Thank you very much, Shuryou."

Gospel walked out into the balcony and looked at the descending sun and the change of colors.

"… Come to think of it… I should deal with that possible menace. I'll charge Freeze Man with spying on them and then gathering enough proofs for the competent authorities to use. Those creeps won't get away with it for much longer. I know there'll always be others to take up their places, but… As long as we can keep them at bay, then it shouldn't be a problem."

He then looked at the damaged steel handrail.

"Ops. I overdid it last time around. In any case… Hikari! Saito! We'll be leaving Nakayami and Sergei up to you two. If it's you two, then you can do it. I know it. _Good luck_!"

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! The three first items have reached _That Person_ and we're at a 98% completion mark. We should be done by the night."

"Yeah. By the way… Have you thought of how to stage the rest of those scripted scenes?"

Ivan and Sergei had seemingly taken a small break from the work they'd been doing: Ivan was drinking some cold water and the AC was on while Sergei was checking up some documents.

"More or less… It's obvious that you're gonna clash with Cousin Saito sooner or later: it's on the script, anyway." Ivan replied.

"Good. By the way… What should we do as an opening act? Golden Star had the invasion, but security has increased ever since that and we won't be able to pull that off again." Sergei brought up.

"Hmmm… Maybe we'll need proxies: we could stage several incidents at the same time, too. That would be terrific." Ivan grinned.

"True. Really terrific." Sergei grinned.

"Ain't it? Next we'll materialize Evil – Type Pokémon."

"Oho. Terrific."

"And we could add some Ghost – Type too…"

"Double terrific."

"And some Esper – Type to hypnotize them too…"

"And make them dance to the tune of "Viva la Vida"…" Sergei grinned and rubbed his hands in excitement.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… If you guys look down on us then you'll get into trouble! My word!" Ivan proclaimed.

"Delete!"

"Delete~!"

20:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… True! A shower does make you feel refreshed."

"Didn't I say it?"

Saito came out of the bathroom while having a towel around his shoulders and looking relaxed as night was beginning to creep in: Netto had changed into his pajamas, too.

"By the way, niisan… Can't you take the bodysuit off and put on some clothes instead? You could pass as a person!" Netto brought up.

"Eh… But… I don't want to pretend I'm a human… I _am_ a Net Navi, after all." Saito hesitantly replied.

"… Okay. In any case… Middle school sounds exciting!" Netto switched topics and looked animated.

"Yup! And I'm sure you'll get very high scores, Netto – kun."

"Eh… But if there's something really difficult… Could you please lend me a hand, Saito – niisan?" Netto asked.

"Sure. We help each other, after all!" Saito confirmed.

Netto stood up and shook his right hand with Saito's one while they blinked an eye to each other: Netto then stepped out into the balcony and Saito followed him: both looked at the few stars there.

"I wanna have a totally exciting and refreshing start of middle school! Heh, heh, heh!" He exclaimed.

"Heh. The same applies for me, too. Blues and I have become more than friends. And we will protect our bonds with our friends."

"Yeah! With the power of bonds… We can gain unending power!"

"A new chapter is going to start: the chapter of "friendship"!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

**THE END**


End file.
